Katie Maloney opened up about her split from husband Tom Schwartz on the latest episode of her podcast on Friday.
Nearly a month after the Vanderpump Rules stars confirmed the end of their marriage by sharing statements with their fans and followers on Instagram, Katie confessed to feeling relieved and freed before sharing where she and Tom stand today and revealing their future plans for the home in which they both still reside.
“As sad and emotional [as the breakup was] I did really feel a sense of relief because I was feeling kind of bogged down. I felt like I was just going through motions,” Katie admitted on the April 1 episode of You’re Gonna Love Me, via Us Weekly. “To feel that I finally said the things that were on my mind and in my heart, to get them finally out there, and to feel like I can finally move on and heal from these things was freeing to me.”
But as freeing as it may have been to finally be honest with her feelings, Katie said that breaking up with her partner of 12 years was still extremely emotional.
“It is the hardest thing I have ever done because I will always love Tom. I am always going to have so much love for him,” she explained. “He has been my family and my best friend and we have shared everything. I wanted to be with him forever but I felt like I was the only one in it.”
Katie and Tom initially said “I do” in August 2016. However, due to a paperwork mishap, courtesy of Tom, their marriage wasn’t made official until July 2019 when they held a second wedding in Las Vegas.
According to Katie, she knows that divorces and breakups can get really ugly, but she believes that she and Tom will be able to stay in a good place with one another as they prepare to finalize their split.
“I feel really fortunate that [ours] is not [ugly],” she said. “[And] I do believe that it will stay this way.”
“Obviously … this living situation is not going to be forever. We are trying to finish the repairs on our home and then we plan on listing our home, selling it and finding our own places to live,” she continued of the $1.9 million home they share.
Although living with an ex would be extremely uncomfortable for some, Katie said “it’s been really nice” for her and Tom.
“Obviously we don’t sleep in the same room — we are kind of like roommates. We are hanging out and our friendship is intact. We have a great friendship so through this transition we can still be loving and peaceful with one another and that’s been really nice,” she stated.
“I am very optimistic and I am feeling very hopeful to see what the future holds for Katie,” Katie added. “You never know.”
Vanderpump Rules season 10 has not yet been confirmed by Bravo.