Last month, Real Housewives of Potomac OG Ashley Darby filed for a legal separation from her husband of eight years, Michael Darby. Fans saw this process as a long time coming as the couple has struggled nearly every season since the show started.
Ashley still remains close with former Housewife Monique Samuels, who left the show after a dramatic Season Five reunion. She has supported Ashley through marriage problems in the past, on and off-screen.
Now Monique has spoken out about how her friend is holding up, and what she hopes for Ashley and Michael’s future.
Monique said she knew the couple were struggling
Monique said she was shocked by Ashley’s decision, but did know that Ashley and Michael were having trouble in their marriage. “It wasn’t a surprise to me because Ashley and I keep in touch. So we had been talking, so I knew there were some issues,” Monique said. “I didn’t realize that it was going down that road though, honestly. I knew she expressed some things she was struggling with, but I thought there was going to be a way that they could navigate and get through it.”
She does hold out that maybe Ashley and Michael can get back to a good place and salvage their relationship. “You never know! They still may [get through it]!” Monique added, saying, “Hope is never gone.”
Monique knows Ashley and Michael very well, and she said of her friends, “I know at the end of the day Ashley is going to do what’s best for her and her beautiful children. And I know one thing about Michael, he has always struck me as the type where he doesn’t want the drama, he just wants to be happy — and if filing for legal separation is ultimately what makes them happy, [that’s] what they’re going to do.”
“They don’t care what anybody else has to say or think when it comes to their marriage,” Monique added. “They have made that clear over the years. I just wish them luck for sure.” Ashley has been open about their struggles and has held Michael accountable for his actions, proving Monique’s point that Ashley will make her own decisions, and is not concerned with what the public thinks of her marriage.
Monique has a new show featuring her family
Monique and her husband, former NFL star Chris Samuels, are now starring in an ensemble reality show on the OWN Network called Love & Marriage: DC. The show, with the Samuelses as the headliners, features power couples navigating both their business and personal lives against the backdrop of the D.C., Virginia, and Maryland area.
Monique thinks the show is a great fit for her. “We are able to really showcase ‘Here’s our family, here’s our marriage, here we are as entrepreneurs, here we are as parents, and here we are amongst a beautiful circle of other people who are in the same position as us and we are all learning and growing from each other,'” she revealed.
Monique goes on to admit that when she starred on RHOP for four seasons, she was “put into somewhat of a box”, and now she gets a second chance for viewers to get to know her.
The Real Housewives of Potomac is currently on hiatus on Bravo.