Credit: Instagram
Braunwyn Windham-Burke and husband Sean Burke are officially separating after more than 20 years of marriage.
The news comes approximately seven months after the former Real Housewives of Orange County star publicly announced she’s a lesbian. And just recently, the mother-of-seven confirmed she’s dating Fernanda Rocha, who has reportedly been Braunwyn’s rock following her RHOC firing.
“We have decided jointly that we are going to take a few months apart,” Braunwyn said via Instagram Live on July 12 with Sean by her side.
“We’re going to see what that’s like living apart for a while and Braunwyn’s going to go back and forth…” Sean added before she cut him off and said, “No.” At that point, Sean admitted he’s still “getting up to speed” on the whole situation himself.
Braunwyn shared that she and the younger children are headed to Hawaii while Sean stays behind in a Newport Beach apartment, which Fernanda happens to own.
The pair dubbed their split a “trial run separation” as they explained they’re “putting [their] children first.”
“What we are doing right now is really healthy for them. I am taking my kids for six or seven weeks, and when they come back, they will have a place at their father’s,” Braunwyn revealed.
If all goes well during their summer separation, the former couple is planning to purchase a home in Hawaii, and Braunwyn and Sean will take turns living there with the children.
Though Sean admitted they “just don’t know” what tomorrow will bring, he said he’s excited about “figuring out the rest of [their] lives.” He’s also looking forward to having his own place.
Back in April, Braunwyn said both she and Sean were striving to keep their “modern marriage” intact, but she admitted that some days it didn’t feel attainable. However, at the time, they weren’t quite ready to make any decisions about their future together.
“I can tell you how I am today, but yesterday was very different,” she told PEOPLE. “Yesterday was a very hard day in our house for us. Today’s a little bit better; we went on a trip and that was great. So we are navigating something in real-time, and we’re not making any big decisions.”
