Over the years of Real Housewives many of the stars have seen the breakdown of their marriage play out on screen. Some we all saw coming, even when the housewives apparently didn’t, but a few over the years have shocked audiences.
These splits shocked Bravo fans, who thought these couples might go the distance.
Joe and Teresa Guidice
The Giudices' marriage was far from perfect, but they were together for over 20 years before splitting in 2019. With four daughters and two prison sentences, their marriage was one of Bravo’s strongest.
Teresa admitted her marriage started to fall apart after her mother passed away in 2017. On an episode of her podcast, Turning the Tables with Teresa Giudice, The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member admitted that going to prison made her feel like she had “lost time” with her mother Antonia Gorga.
Both Teresa and Joe pleaded guilty to bank, mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud in 2014. Their relationship slowly fell apart after the both spent time in jail and Joe was deported.
Shannon and David Beador
The Real Housewives of Orange County couple split after 17 years of marriage, one vow renewal ceremony, and three daughters.
Shannon Beador joined the cast of RHOC for season 9 in 2014, and her husband’s infidelity was documented on the reality show. During the 10th season, she discovered her husband had been having a months-long affair. The couple was determined to make it work, choosing to go to therapy and even renewing their vows after the scandal.
“Divorce is not an option, it has never been an option for me,” Shannon said on the show. “I love my family and I will do whatever it takes to keep my family together.”
The couple couldn’t make it work, and they announced their separation in October 2017. Shannon was awarded $1.4 million and $10,000 monthly support in their 2019 divorce settlement.
Ramona and Mario Singer
When RHONY started, Ramona and Marlo Singer were one of the strongest marriages. It wasn’t long before rumors of infidelity plagued their relationship.
Ramona filed for divorced in 2014 after 22 years together after she caught her husband with his girlfriend in their Hamptons home. She admitted she gave her “many chances” following the cheating scandal but after he reconnected with his mistress, the RHONY icon said she had enough.
"I tried to make my marriage work because I have strong values and I believe that people make mistakes," she told PEOPLE in 2014. "But you reach a point where you realize the other person isn't putting in as much effort as you are. And I reached my breaking point."
"Mario’s behavior is embarrassing to me and my daughter. I’m not some pushover. I’m a strong, successful woman. I need someone who is going to treat me with love and respect."
Adrienne Maloof And Paul Nassif
Adrienne Maloof and Paul Nassif officially filed for divorce in August 2012, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
The RHOBH OG’s had been married for a decade and seemed to be strong before it all fell apart. Although they would bicker regularly on camera, audiences were unaware just how bad it was behind the scenes.
“I’m so sorry that this is happening but my children are my life and sometimes we need to do what’s best for them,” Adrienne Radar Online in July 2012. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but I have to have my kids’ best interest at heart.”
The couple blamed their appearance on RHOBH for the split, but admitted it wasn’t necessarily a negative. “I think that the show actually did me a favor by getting out of a relationship that was not right for both of us and so, when I look back, I think it would have happened,” she told The Daily Dish.
"It just happened sooner, than later. The good thing is, now we are very good friends, we care about each other, I believe we really worked hard, we worked at it to make things right for our children."
Paul also agreed with this sentimental. “I think being on a reality show, it did speed up our demise and divorce,” he admitted. “I think it was going to happen anyway, eventually.”
Kyle Richards And Mauricio Umansky
Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky looked like one of the strongest couples in all Bravo franchises, not just RHOBH. Fans were shocked when, in October 2023, Kyle confirmed that she and Mauricio had separated after 27 years of marriage.
The couple wed in 1996 and had three children together. They built his real estate agency together, and shockingly, do not have a prenup. “He didn’t have any money when I married him and it’s our money," she once revealed, per The Daily Dish. "Let’s be very clear about that. It’s [a] very clean cut. Everything is half regardless."
"With any marriage, there's issues that you have, and they come up and you get busy. You've got kids — my kids were little — I'm working, I'm being a mommy, and doing all that, [so, the issues] get put aside and will come up again," she explained during last season’s RHOBH reunion.
" Some of the issues never went away. They were never worked on. And then something, like I said in my interview, happened where I did lose my trust."
Despite the OG RHOBH’s relationship appearing to be strong, rumors of infidelity and their marriage ending plagued them in 2023 until they announced their split.
“I think there were certain things that were there that we had kind of been putting on the back burner for a long time. You know, you’re pregnant and you’re breastfeeding. And then it was working and juggling the kids, and you kind of forget about it, and then it resurfaces again,” Kyle told Hoda & Jenna on the Today show.
“And I think I just kind of came to a -- I would say a breaking point, honestly. And I’ve gone through a lot. I lost my best friend, and I think that really does change you and makes you look at things differently.”