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The Daily Dish The Real Housewives of Atlanta

Cynthia Bailey's Divorce from Peter Thomas Made Her "Feel Like a Failure"

The #RHOA fashionista reflects on the final days of her marriage.

By Laura Rosenfeld
Cynthia Bailey Opens Up About Her Divorce from Peter Thomas

Cynthia Bailey knew that this season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta was going to be a difficult one. After the emotional roller coaster that she and her husband of six years, Peter Thomas, experienced last season of RHOA, Cynthia announced her plans to divorce him in May. We've already seen Cynthia set the divorce proceedings in motion this season. 

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However, staying amiable with Peter through the divorce process made things easier. "I think just because I'm pretty peaceful in my decision, I knew that I just would get through it. I knew that I didn't want it to be this ugly, drag-Peter-through-the-mud-divorce-type situation. I've seen it happen time and time again on TV amongst reality stars and just regular people. I didn't want to do that," Cynthia told The Daily Dish. "I love Peter. We've just come to the end of the road for me. That's just my personal breaking point." 

Cynthia said she couldn't identify a specific moment where she knew she wanted to end her marriage, but it was a feeling that had built up within her over time. "There's always things, whether it's little things or big things. Sometimes, those little things become big things. There's always signs, there's always that unrest inside of you that feels like, 'Hmmm, I wonder if this is for me,'" she said. "It's hard."

Cynthia said her divorce from Peter is "not completely finalized" yet. "However, we have agreed on all of the terms. There's a couple things that we're working out," she shared. "So it's just a matter of days at this point. It's gonna be over soon."

Still, approaching the end of her marriage has been an emotional time for Cynthia. "You kind of feel like a failure because it didn't work out," she said. "And then you feel like you have to be strong, but some days you don't really feel like it. Some days, you're just like, 'Look, it is what it is.'" 

Peter Thomas Brings Cynthia Bailey to Tears

But all in all, Cynthia said this season ended up being "great" for her, and her show-stopping interview looks definitely reflect that (she agrees that she's "killing it"). "I feel like a weight has been lifted. We've been having some issues for a while. I think I just have peace. I think when you feel better, you look better," she explained. "I'm in a good place. I'm just excited. I'm excited about what the future holds." 

But Cynthia isn't jumping right back into the dating game just yet. "No, I haven't started dating because I'm not officially divorced yet. Even if I wasn't, I think I just need a minute. I need some time," she said. "I'm not saying I'm gonna be a player or anything, but I'm looking forward to being single and just having some Cynthia time." 

Cynthia also clarified comments she made to Us Weekly earlier this month, saying she "will never marry again." "As far as me never getting married again, I think my point with that was not so much I'm not gonna get married again, because I really don't know what the future holds for me," Cynthia explained. "I just know that I don't want to go through a divorce again. It's just been really heavy."

Peter Thomas: "When Did You Stop Loving Me?"
 

And Cynthia still wants Peter to be a part of her future, even if she knows that may be a challenge. "The struggle for me has been trying to maintain somewhat of a friendship throughout this whole thing because I still do care about Peter, and that's been tough. So far, it's been working out, but we still have a ways to go. In my situation, people don't realize that not only am I losing a husband, I'm losing a friend if we are not friends in the end. We started off as friends. To me, that's important." 

She also hopes that Peter can maintain a relationship with her 17-year-old daughter Noelle Robinson since he has been in her life since she was 8 years old. "Peter and Noelle have a great relationship, and I would like for that to continue," Cynthia told The Daily Dish. 

Cynthia's tagline for this season of RHOA is, "Life is a runway, and Cynthia Bailey is ready to walk it alone." With her divorce soon-to-be-finalized and her 50th birthday approaching next year, that tagline definitely reflects her desire to start her next chapter. "I think at this point in my life I deserve to be a little greedy, to just really do Cynthia," she said. "It's a little scary but also exciting. I'm just taking a leap of faith."

Check out more of what you can expect from Cynthia and her fellow Georgia Peaches this season of RHOA, below.

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