Ashley Darby admits she wasn’t completely satisfied with how her divorce ended. But she sees that as a good thing.
The Real Housewives of Potomac cast member explained her position during a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, more than seven months after she and Michael Darby finalized their split.
“My divorce lawyer, Maria [Simon] — shoutout to Maria, she’s amazing — she did say that a sign of a good divorce is that nobody is happy,” Ashley said during a RHOP Season 10 premiere event. “So neither of us were super happy. It was fair.”
Ashley Darby and Michael Darby announce their split
Ashley confirmed her separation from Michael in April of 2022, nearly eight years after they tied the knot.
“When Michael and I said ‘I do,’ we anticipated sharing every single day together from that moment forward,” she announced in an exclusive 2022 statement to The Daily Dish. “Unfortunately, that is not our current reality. We have decided to separate… We are now both at very different stages in our lives and have different goals for our futures. We both want the other to achieve true happiness and fulfillment and feel that we cannot do this together.”
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The ex-couple shares two children together: 6-year-old son Dean Darby and his 4-year-old brother, Dylan Darby.
Ashley Darby opens up about her new chapter: “Living my best life”
Although she didn’t get everything she wanted out of the divorce, Ashley reassured fans she was in a really great place.
“I’m living my best life,” she said. “It’s actually amazing that I’m taking on this next chapter of life with so much more confidence. Before I was separated, I just didn’t know what life on this side was gonna look like, and I was so scared. I was like, ‘Am I ready for this? Am I making a mistake? Are my kids gonna be OK? Are they gonna feel like they’re different at school?’ You know, just all those what-ifs, they kept me up all night. But now your girl is sleeping peacefully.”
Is Ashley Darby still involved with Josh Gudenburr?
Fans got an in-depth look at Ashley’s single-mom era in Bravo’s Love Hotel, a reality series in which she and other Housewives attempted to find romance among a pool of eligible bachelors. At the end of the inaugural season, Ashley chose to “check out” with 61-year-old Ralph; however, the romance fizzled out several months later. The Potomac mom told ET that she was still single but fully immersed in the dating scene.
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“It’s so complicated. No one told me that dating was this hard,” she said with a laugh. “Dating when I was younger, it was so easy. I had my pick of the litter. I saw the man that I wanted to marry; I was like, ‘That’s gonna be my husband.’ He became my husband. But now it’s like all these mind games, online dating, it’s such a rigmarole. And I have kids. So all these things are making it so much more challenging, but I’m enjoying it.”
Ashley said she’s also built a “little roster” of potential suitors, which will come in handy once cuffing season kicks in.
“Especially because it’s getting cold outside, big holiday events are coming up, and I need dates to events,” she said, before referencing a former flame. “And Josh [Gudenburr] may or may not be one of those dates.”
RHOP Season 10 premieres Sunday, October 5, on Bravo. Find out what Ashley and her fellow ’Wives have in store for the new season.
