The rumor mill was swirling Tuesday when news broke that Ashley Darby had reportedly filed for a legal separation from her husband of eight years, entrepreneur Michael Darby.
Later that day, the Real Housewives of Potomac OG released her own statement, confirming the news that she had chosen to separate and her thoughts surrounding this emotional family issue. After the last season of RHOP, it appeared the couple was in a good place, but now she is pulling the plug on their union.
The ladies of Potomac began filming in March, and this new revelation is sure to play a major role in Ashley’s storyline for Season 7.
Ashley said no one was the ‘root cause’ of her split
In an official statement to The Daily Dish at Bravo, Ashley revealed, “Almost eight years ago, when Michael and I said ‘I do,’ we anticipated sharing every single day together from that moment forward. Unfortunately, that is not our current reality. We have decided to separate.”
Ashley knows how viewers feel about her stormy marriage to Michael, and she answers that, saying, “We are aware that there will be many speculative views as to why we have made this decision. People will be quick to assume that the causes were too much intrusion by reality TV into the most personal parts of our lives, age gap issues, cultural problems, or child-rearing differences.”
“Pieces of all these may have affected our pure love for each other, but no one reason is the root cause of our mutual decision to go our separate ways,” Ashley states, reassuring fans that she still has love for her soon-to-be ex-husband. She explains, “We are now both at very different stages in our lives and have different goals for our futures. We both want the other to achieve true happiness and fulfillment and feel that we cannot do this together.”
It was reported yesterday that Ashley told her friends that she had legally separated from her husband of eight years at the premiere party for Karen Huger’s new spin-off series, Karen’s Grande Dame Reunion.
The couple fought rumors of infidelity for years
Last month, Michael was spotted with a mystery woman in South Carolina, and there was photo evidence of it. Ashley had an explanation for the photo and came to his defense on social media. She denied any wrongdoing, stating, “That article is bogus. Michael was at a wedding this weekend, and the people pictured are his friends of over 30 years,” Ashley told her fans and followers on March 28. “Michael and I will always be transparent about what’s happening between us.”
Ashley openly admitted she still has difficulty trusting Michael after past infidelity. “I would be lying through my teeth if I said that I was completely comfortable and felt safe and trusted Michael 100 percent after having Dylan because that previous experience after having Dean, it was hurtful to me, that rather than talk to me about how he was feeling he decided to try to find affection from someone else,” she revealed.
The couple had been going strong after welcoming their second son Dylan early last year, but it seems as if the old issues may have been too great to overcome. Ashley and Michael share two sons – Dean, 2, and Dylan, 1.
The Real Housewives of Potomac is currently on hiatus on Bravo.