Kathy Hilton's husband Richard Hilton brandished a shotgun as burglars invaded their home.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star said he fired the weapon during his run-in with the three men, who smashed their way into their Los Angeles, California, home in November, via a window in the kitchen.

The terrifying ordeal happened when Kathy - who said her and Richard's security guard was "down at the guest house" when they broke in - was in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her Real Housewives co-stars for BravoCon.

Kathy - who said Richard, 70, is "doing good" following the incident - explained to the US TV show Extra: "They came in, broke the glass, and it was raining, and our security guy was down at the guest house.

"So Rick heard that. He got his shotgun out - sorry to say that - and they broke down [the door] ... in the front master bedroom. And he looked at them and said, 'You know what, get the f*** out of here. The police are on their way.'"

The 66-year-old star - who has children Paris Hilton, 44, Nicholai Rothschild, 42, Barron Hilton II, 36, and Conrad Hughes Hilton, 31, with Richard - said their security guard then arrived at the scene, and came face-to-face with the burglars before the three men ran out of the house.

Despite the thugs having fled the property, Richard had not finished scaring them off.

Kathy added: "He started shooting the gun out of his office in the air."

Police arrived at Kathy and Richard's home shortly after the break-in and moments following the burglars' departure.

In the wake of the burglary, Kathy and Richard have upgraded their security system - which is more sensitive.

She said: "It's crazy. If you touch anything… Carol came in today, and the whole house went off."

Kathy - who has been married to Richard since 1979 - spoke about the scary incident a day before season 15 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills premieres on Bravo.