Candiace Dillard-Bassett Says 'RHOP' Rumors About Husband Chris Bassett 'Tested Me as a Wife'

Candiace Dillard-Bassett is used to her husband Chris Bassett offering his support when she finds herself in hot water on The Real Housewives of Potomac. But when he found himself the target of rumor this season, it was her turn to be there for him.

"It's tested me as a wife," Candiace, 35, told PEOPLE ahead of her concert at SLS Baha Mar last month. "It's tested me in a way that I didn't think I was prepared for."

"I had to really shoulder him and catch him while he was going through every emotion," she said. "He was feeling defeated, people were questioning his character, questioning who he is as a human and as a man, questioning his common sense and just following this futile narrative that has no weight. But Chris, for me, has been always been a rock; like a mountain. And so I learned from watching him just how important it was to give him that steady support and to show him, 'I got you.'"

She added, "It's just once again shown me and Chris how strong we are together. As I elevate, he elevates as well. And as we elevate as a couple and individually, people are going to try and find a way to break us. But we're not going anywhere."

Chris, 44, came under fire on RHOP when Gizelle Bryant claimed he made her feel "uncomfortable" by speaking with he alone in her hotel room during a break from filming last season's reunion — a move she thought was his attempt at "trying to see if I was with it." Costar Ashley Darby also alleged she felt a certain way about Chris DM'ing her late at night to invite her to the hotel restaurant he manages, and later said he was getting flirty with a female friend of theirs at a party.

Speaking on both in an Instagram Live, Chris insisted he was never intending to make anyone uncomfortable, and that he only DM'ed Darby, 34, and Bryant, 52 — who said too she didn't like that Chris sent her messages — when he was responding to their Stories.

He went on to explain that the experience has been difficult on him, noting how there have been days when he didn't feel like getting out of bed knowing that there are people out there who believe what's being said about him.

"It's been a really dark time in our household just because I don't think that either of us ever saw a world where someone we thought was a friend would use a Me Too storyline to sell tickets to the show," Candiace told PEOPLE of the claims. "I've always said that I thought we had seen the worst of it in season 5, but what has been cooked up in season 7 is beyond disgusting."

"I've said many times, 'Come at me all day, attack me all day.' I am not always the best at responding, but I can handle that. I feel like no matter how dark it may seem for me, I can deal with that. But why drag my husband into it?" she said. "A man who literally does nothing but cook for everybody and defend me and really defend them when I am in the wrong on this show and in this space? It just feels wrong. It feels like we were violated and my husband was violated, and we are commandeering air time for B.S."

Candiace famously stormed off when Bryant brought up the claims on the show, and she's since lambasted both her and Darby for their "lies."

"This was not something to be played with," Candiace told PEOPLE. "But I guess, when you see people happy and when you see something that looks good, it becomes a target — especially when you're unhappy and miserable and you're only used to turmoil and dank, drab foolishness and men who treat you like trash. You're a product of your environment. And certain people, just they want to put that onto us and we don't receive that."

While the "Drive Back" singer has been standing up for her husband on the show and on social media, she's ultimately made a point to de-escalate the drama when at home with Chris.

"I want to fight this battle for him and I've had to quell the urge to do that many, many times," she acknowledged. "He's human, so he will go and read whatever new version of commentary people are tweeting about. And then you see it on his face; you see the life leave the more he's reading. But I just try to remind him to spend less time on Twitter and we've made more concerted efforts to set aside our phones to get away from it."

As for Bryant, by whom Candiace feels the most hurt, any chance for peace between the two solely depends on what Bryant does at the reunion. "The ball is in her court as far as how we resolve things," she said, "though "I don't see a world where she owns that she has created this narrative for the show. That would be, that be suicide for her."

And Bryant's claim that Candiace has made a mountain out of a mole hill? "She is a big, fat liar to put it kindly," said Candiace. "And I think it's gaslighting on another level to tap dance on my intelligence and accuse me of blowing it out of proportion when you have used very specific buzz words that lend themselves to sexual misconduct allegations."

She continued, "I've seen Gizelle ... get away with not authentically sharing most of her life for seven seasons. And that's the unfortunate thing for everybody. You have created this entire platform and really spit on the work that women have done to create a Me Too movement for ratings because you have no real business to share. And at the point where you have run out of real, authentic stuff to share, perhaps it's time to go."

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The Real Housewives of Potomac airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.