Kandi Burruss wasn’t always as sweet as her namesake while filming “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” Season 15 — and Sanya Richards-Ross has a theory behind her co-star’s “hotheaded” behavior.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist, 38, says on Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast that she believes tension in Burruss’ marriage with Todd Tucker permeated feuds with castmate Marlo Hampton and series newbie Courtney Rhodes.

“When you have someone who works so much and works so hard in a relationship, and you have someone like Todd who also aspires to do a lot of great things, that could cause a lot of tension,” Richards-Ross notes.

The latest “RHOA” installment will see the couple grapple with conflicting schedules and concerns that Burruss’ business goals take priority over Tucker’s.

“And they both agree, it’s always about Kandi, Kandi, Kandi,” Richards-Ross says of the multihyphenate, who recently received a Tony nomination for her work on Broadway’s revival of “August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson.”

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“So I think for him, especially this year, he’s like, ‘Look, I’ve got some things I want to work on, and they’re going to be on the front burner, ma’am, not on the back burner. So you’re going to have to figure it out,’” the athlete adds.

Richards-Ross believes such marital strife made Burruss, 46 — who shares son Ace, 7, and daughter Blaze, 3, with Tucker, 49 — more “emotional” when navigating conflict in their circle of friends.

In the trailer for “RHOA” Season 15, Burruss engages in heated exchanges with both Hampton, 47, and “friend of the Housewives” Rhodes, 48.

“The only reason I’m crying right now is because I can’t f–king choke your ass, bitch,” the Grammy winner tells Hampton during one explosive conversation.

In a separate scene, Burruss says she is “about to head-butt this bitch,” referring to Rhodes.

“I think that she’s very emotional this season because of that, because of her trying to figure that out and juggling that,” Richards-Ross tells us. “I feel like sometimes she’s really, really emotional and really a little bit more hotheaded this season.”

“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” Season 15 premieres Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.