It was a case of art imitating life ... or something. More like life imitating The Hills. No way that qualifies as art ... although these portraits are quite stunning.

Okay, we're off topic. Days before The Hills showed Stephanie Pratt confronting Holly Montag about her excessive drinking, Steph was popped for DUI in L.A.

The occasion? Holly's birthday party, natch.

It had all the makings of a real meltdown, considering Stephanie's troubled past. But she says she's weathered the storm and come out stronger after the DUI.

“It was the worst thing to happen to me and, at the same time, it was the biggest blessing,” the sister of Spencer PRatt told People in an interview Wednesday.

“I learned to not fall apart, which is something I usually do when something goes bad in my life. I learned it is all about temptation and I am being tested.”

The moral of the story: Believe in second chances. What doesn't kill Stephanie Pratt makes her even more annoying stronger. [Photo Credit: Splash News Online]

Being tested in Hollywood is an everyday thing, as is the inevitable fall from grace, but The Hills star is determined to go from embarrassment to betterment.

“This is the first time that I haven’t screwed up more after a bad thing,” Stephanie Pratt says, “and I didn’t fall apart and say, ‘I hate my life, I want to die!’"

"It’s the first time in 23 years that I went the other way!”

We're not sure if that's inspiring or sad.

In any case, things are really turning around for her: “Two weeks ago I found a partner for a handbag line I’ve dreamed about since the 7th grade,” she says.

“I’m closer to my parents and I’ve never been happier in my life! I’ve had problems in my past, but I would let them turn into snowballs that turned into avalanches.

"This is the first time that I’ve ever done anything different.”