Janet Roach roasts new RHOM housewife Anjali Rao

The new season hasn’t even started yet, but two Real Housewives of Melbourne stars are trading vicious barbs online.

Real Housewives of Melbourne original cast member Janet Roach has made it clear she’s not a fan of one of the new housewives.

In an insight into what viewers can expect when season 5 premieres on Fox Arena on Sunday, Roach, 63, took aim at “newbie” Anjali Rao during a Q&A hosted by Joel Creasey for Foxtel on Thursday night.

Their feud began during filming this year, when Rao reportedly got annoyed over a photo Roach posted on Instagram.

Real Housewives star Janet Roach and newbie Anjali Rao.

“Apparently I had to ask (to upload the photo),” Roach said. “They said, ‘You put up a photo of her in a dress she doesn’t like’, And I said, ‘I didn’t know she didn’t like it’.

And she offered some brutal advice to Anjali and the other new Housewives joining the cast this season, criticising them for trying to start drama on social media before the season has even started - when “nobody knows who you are.”

“I’m just saying, Anjali, I know you’re listening, but nobody knows who you are so we don’t actually give a sh*t. Chill out, let’s face it,” she shrugged.

But Anjali returned fire once this article was posted, sharing a screenshot of Janet’s quotes and dubbing her “Granny Janny” to her 1,249 Instagram followers:

“If I got “roasted”, I certainly wasn’t aware of it. Then again, whenever Granny Janny empties her nappy about me, I do tend to use the opportunity to have a little snooze. My eyes might be open, but I’m actually fast asleep,” she wrote.

The former TV new anchor continued: “And as for nobody knowing who I am, 220 million news-watching people around the world would argue that they do. Janet, however, can’t even spell the word “news”, let alone care about anything that happens beyond Toorak. Anyhoo, thanks for the publicity!”

Anjali is one of four new cast members joining RHOM this season.Picture: Wayne Taylor

It comes after Roach posted a cryptic comment on Instagram in July declaring there was a “fake” this season, adding, “Not sure why she was cast.”

Rao, a former CNN host, also suggested she didn’t get along with her fellow housewives during a recent interview with Herald Sun.

“To go into a world like Housewives was different, particularly when I am an entirely self made woman – professionally, financially, all of it – I didn’t have to hook up with somebody or marry someone to have it,” she said. “You can have your diamonds, I’ve got my brain.”

Rao is one of the four newcomers to join the Housewives for season 5, along with wellbeing fanatic Cherry Dipietrantonio, businesswoman Simone Elliott and entrepreneur Kyla Kirkpatrick.

Jackie Gillies also returns this season, while Gina Liano and Lydia Schiavello quit before the series began filming.

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Real Housewives of Melbourne season 5 stars Simone Elliott, Kyla Kirkpatrick, Jackie Gillies, Janet Roach, Gamble Breaux and Anjali Rao. Picture: Narelle Portainer/Foxtel

Fellow original housewife Gamble Breaux, who is back this season, didn’t even attempt to hide her disdain for the newbies during the Q&A, with the exception of Elliott.

“What I found difficult is Kyla, Cherry and Anjali were very much just stuck in the same opinion, and backing each other in any sort of thing when it sometimes wasn’t even reasonable,” Breaux told Creasey in front of her fellow housewives.

“Cherry was reasonable at first... but lost it a bit in the middle.”

Real Housewives of Melbourne premieres on Fox Arena on Sunday at 8.30pm - and come back to news.com.au for our full recap of each episode, posted as soon as they finish airing.