Vicki Gunvalson of The Real Housewives of Orange County announced this week that she and on-again-off-again beau Brooks Ayers have split again, just months after she lost her mother suddenly.
Gunvalson released a statement to Us Weekly, saying that she and Ayers have put a lot of work into their relationship but ultimately believe it’s better to go their separate ways. The couple originally broke things off in 2013, but reunited last year after Ayers learned he had cancer.
“After much prayer, thought, counseling, and consideration, we have decided to end our four year relationship. We both wish nothing but a great future for each other. We have come to realize that one can indeed love someone in their heart, but that the time may come for their lives to take separate paths. Though the remaining episodes of Season 10 of The Real Housewives of Orange County will show us as a couple, the filming took place in January 2015 through May 2015. There will be no further statements or interviews regarding our relationship as we choose to move on with our lives. Though we choose to live our lives in the public eye, we thank you for your understanding and ask privacy during this difficult time,” the statement reads.
Vicki Gunvalson made headlines last month when a controversial and heartbreaking episode of the reality series aired which showed her receiving a phone call about the death of her mother, with whom she was very close. Co-star Tamra Barney later said that she thought the cameras should have shut off as soon as producers realized what was going on during the very emotional scene.
“At the moment it happened, I thought the cameras should shut down, because it was too sensitive. Vicki was in a state of mind where she didn’t even acknowledge the cameras. Now she has to relive it. She told me her family could not watch it,” Barney said.
Vicki Gunvalson reassured her, however, that she had lived so much of her life in the public eye that she was alright with the footage being aired.
“Vicki said that her life has been on camera for 10 years, and ‘this is something that happened to me, and I’m okay sharing it.’ If she’s okay with it, I guess I’m okay with it.”