Southern Charm Savannah's Ashley Borders Opens Up About Her Decision to Divorce Her Husband

Ashley Borders made a difficult decision in this season's finale of Southern Charm Savannah. After expressing that she was not happy in her marriage to husband Dennis during the season, the Savannah Charmer finally decided to call it quits with her spouse. 

This final moment of the season was not only difficult for Ashley to live but also to relive by watching it back on TV. "At the end of the episode, I guess we see kind of the culmination of my journey with Dennis. It’s a hard conversation to watch again in that, it's not just me and him; it’s me, him, and Izzy. But it was a decision I thought a long time about. It’s something that I didn’t just kind of throw on a whim," Ashley told The Daily Dish in advance of the episode airing. "We’ve gotten married twice, and so it’s kind of like, I tried and [did] everything I could. And so I was at peace about it, as well [as] we’ve done everything we could do. And so it’s just kind of like, all right it’s time to move forward." 

Ashley said she feels like ending her marriage was "the right thing" to do. "I read something the other day someone sent me. I have the best fans. And so, they send me things all the time, like, supporting and letting me know that they’re there and that that’s inspired them somehow. And so he said, 'Very difficult endings [are] disguised like beautiful new beginnings,'" Ashley said. "And so, I try to look at it that way. You have to close doors sometimes to open new ones. And you have to make space in your life for good things to come."

Since Ashley and Dennis had divorced and gotten remarried once before, she said that if their marriage didn't work out the second time around, there would be no third time. "I knew for a long time that’s kind of what I wanted, but I just wanted to make sure before those words came out of my mouth, that it was 100 percent permanent," Ashley said. "I’m not gonna do a third try. This had to be it. And so it was kind of like the culmination of lots of different events and lots of different time and thinking and really kind of processing. So yes, of course, it’s a difficult conversation to have with anyone, especially with someone that you love. I absolutely love Dennis, just not in a spousal sort of romantic way. He’s a family member. And that will always be the case." 

But that doesn't mean Ashley wasn't afraid of what would come next after she decided to part ways with Dennis. "It’s terrifiying as well, having a discussion like that, because anytime you make a big change in your life, it can be very scary. There’s a million things that have to happen. There’s choices that have to be made. There’s new houses that have to be gotten. There’s parenting schedules. There’s all sorts of things that are not easy to face, especially on top of everyday life," Ashley said, adding, "especially because it’s not something that he wanted. And I think that in the long term it is absolutely the best thing for both of us."

Ashley Borders Asks her Husband For a Divorce

Ashley said that she and Dennis are "still in the process of divorce" today. "When children come [into] play, there’s a lot more, sort of, issues," she said. "Our main concern is that Izzy is happy with the situation." 

So far, it seems as though their son, Izzy, is doing well, all things considered. "Isaac’s very smart. You can’t hide anything from kids. So, Izzy’s take on all this is that he just wants us to be happy," Ashley said. "And for him, that’s two bedrooms with more stuff. He was more concerned with like, 'Do I get another Xbox?'" 

Ashley has lived her life as an open book this season of Southern Charm Savannah, from her marital issues to the challenges she faced as a young mother, and she wouldn't have had it any other way. "No, I don’t regret it, because that was what I intended to do in doing the show was to be real and to show people that there’s no rule book. There’s no guidelines," she said. "You make life work the best you can. And you make decisions, and you have to live with those decisions. And just because something looks perfect on the outside doesn’t mean that it always is." 

These days, Ashley is living in a new home (but not the one we got a glimpse of during her house hunting in the finale), while Dennis has remained in the home they shared together this season. The couple has maintained "a high level of respect for each other" and they're doing "as best as you can be for the situation" as they go through their divorce, according to Ashley. "We’re still friends, and we don’t really do a lot together. But we didn’t even when we were married," Ashley said. "I’m looking forward to getting past this point. And I think that that’s one of the things in life, like when you’re going through something, it’s just about focusing on what’s ahead, focusing on the future and being like, 'OK, I’ll get through this,' and then we’ll look back and be like, 'I was tough as nails.' What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It’s true."

See more of Ashley and her family, below.