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Ashley Darby Files for Divorce from Michael Darby: "Bittersweet" (EXCLUSIVE)
The Real Housewives of Potomac cast member called this new chapter with her ex-husband an "emotional time."
Ashley Darby has officially filed for divorce from Michael Darby, The Real Housewives of Potomac cast member confirmed the news in an exclusive interview with The Daily Dish this week. The divorce update comes more than two years after Ashley announced her separation from her then-husband in the spring of 2022.
"Signing divorce papers is bittersweet. My friend put it this way: leaving a marriage is like leaving a house you’ve created memories in for years," Ashley told The Daily Dish via email on Friday, Nov. 22. "Just before you close the door for the last time, you think back on all the incredible things you created together like your children and lasting memories, and then you just have to close the door and move on."
She added, "Even though I’ve been separated for 2 years, there’s always been a feeling that I’m still attached in a way. Now, that’s officially ending and I have the freedom to do life my own way, and I’m very excited to see what that looks like."
Ashley, who shares sons Dean Michael and Dylan Matthew Darby with her ex, went on to share that she will always feel connected to her ex: "Even though I’m not romantically invested in Michael, he will always have a very special place in my heart. It’s a love I can’t even begin to explain, especially sharing our two amazing sons, Dean and Dylan. I’m incredibly inspired by my future - cheers to more healing, thriving, and twerking!"
During a separate interview with The Daily Dish on Nov. 13, she noted that divorce filing was "in the court's hands. We're hoping to have it [done] by the end of the year."
During that same conversation, she credited her RHOP castmates and other friends and family for getting her through the "emotional time."
"These ladies have really rallied around me and my family, my friends, everybody," she shared. "[They're] calling me every day reminding me that there's something better on the other side, once I sign these papers."
Ashley added of her separation, "It was a very emotional time for me and I didn't quite understand why, but I saw my therapist and we discovered that I was exhibiting some signs of depression and I wasn't really figuring out how to cope with the grief of my marriage. It was really hard and [so was] the uncertainty of what could happen later."
Why Ashley Darby decided to divorce Michael Darby
On the Season 9 RHOP premiere, which aired on October 6, Ashley explained why she finally felt ready to officially split from her estranged husband.
"Before, I was kind of dragging my feet a little because I was just content with where things were. I'm ready to start dating," she told her lawyer in the episode.
After working out the details of their co-parenting relationship, Ashley noted she was "ready to fully proceed with [her] divorce" after eight years of marriage.
Ashley Darby Gives an Update on Co-Parenting with Michael Darby
Although they decided to end their marriage, Ashley shared on Season 9 of RHOP that she and Michael are "cordial and co-parenting well."
During Ashley's recent stop by Bravo HQ in mid-November, she shared more details about her and Michael's co-parenting relationship with The Daily Dish.
"Michael and I are doing pretty well with co-parenting," she said. "There was a stint there where we were 'parallel parenting.' Parallel parenting is where you really don't talk at all. So thankfully, we're not doing that. Co-parenting is a little different in that we actually communicate. We're actually conversing. We had Halloween together with the kids the other day, which was nice."
— Additional reporting by Cynthia Robinson
