Getty Couple holding hands
Braunwyn Windham-Burke confirmed her split from Victoria Brito on Friday, July 8, hours after reports of the breakup began circulating online. The former “Real Housewives of Orange County” star, 44, told Page Six she was “heartbroken” but focusing her energy on her sobriety.
“I am feeling all the things — heartbroken and sad, but I’m still sober, and that’s what matters,” Windham-Burke shared. “Whenever it feels like the world is crashing and ‘What now?!,’ I turn to my sobriety.”
The publication wrote that a source revealed the split was due in part to distance. “Long-distance relationships are hard, and that was no exception with Braunwyn and Victoria,” the source told Page Six. “While they spent a lot of time in New York, they both had to travel for work a lot. Most recently, Vic had to travel quite a bit internationally, and the distance created communication strains in their relationship.”
Windham-Burke, who is a mother of seven, and Brito, 30, began dating in the fall of 2021.
Follow the Heavy on Bravolebrities Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
A Source Said Windham-Burke Is ‘Heartbroken’ After the End of Her 1st Serious Relationship With a Woman
A source close to the former Bravo star told People, “It just wasn’t working.” Windham-Burke lived in Newport Beach, California, while Brito was based in New York City and while the insider said “They had great chemistry, ultimately it wasn’t enough to sustain them and the long distance became too hard to maintain.”
According to the publication, the decision was difficult but mutual. “Braunwyn is heartbroken,” the source told People. “She fell hard, she fell fast, and she loved Vic with her whole heart. The relationship ending, it’s devastating for her. Part of being a late in life lesbian is that Braunwyn’s experiencing all these things for the first time. This was really her first serious relationship with a woman since coming out [in 2020]. So while most people have their first heartbreak in their late teens, she’s having it at 44. And she’s dealing with it as best she can.”
The former RHOC star came out as a lesbian in December 2020.
Windham-Burke Spoke About the Split on Her Instagram Stories
Windham-Burke also spoke about the breakup in a video shared on her Instagram Stories. “There’s just a lot of stuff going on,” she told her followers. “The breakup with me and Vic, it’s hard. It’s hard. My heart is just broken.”
She said she was with her children and her mother was around and taking “good care” of her. “I got a good support system,” she shared. “This was like, my first long-term female relationship that just really threw me for a loop,” so she said it was normal that it would take some time to heal from it.
She concluded by saying, “What are we not gonna do? We’re not gonna drink, we’re gonna work out, we’re gonna do fun stuff, I’m gonna play with the kids, I’m gonna do all of the things that I know to do.”
READ NEXT: Fans Trash Real Housewives Star as ‘Performative’ With Grieving Mother