Kyle Richards has shed new light on her separation from Mauricio Umansky and the emotional toll it took on their daughters.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills mom addressed the topic more than two years after she and Mauricio confirmed their marital split. Although the ex-couple has maintained a supportive and loving dynamic since then, Kyle admitted that their children had a difficult time with the transition.
“They’ve come so far since the separation. They really did struggle,” she said in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills After Show Season 15, Episode 1.
Kyle Richards opens up about her family’s difficult transition
The estranged spouses are parents to daughters Alexia, Sophia, and Portia Umansky, as well as Farrah Brittany from Kyle’s first marriage. All the sisters, except for Portia, were already adults at the time of Kyle and Mauricio’s separation. The youngest Umansky child will turn 18 in several months.
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Kyle acknowledged there was a misconception about the ways older children are impacted by their parents’ separation, as many people mistakenly assume adults are better equipped at handling the life change.
“I feel like some people don’t understand that just because they’re not little, they didn’t struggle,” she added. “I think that sometimes the littler you are and the younger you are and the more in the dark you are about things, it could be even easier. My girls really did go through a hard time — depression and adjusting to this new life. I have to say, they’ve come very far.”
Kyle Richards explains how her relationship with her daughters has changed
While the split hasn’t been easy, Kyle suggested there was at least one silver lining to the situation: it strengthened her bond with her daughters.
“We are such a tight-knit family anyway — all of us,” she said. “Our relationship has taken a different… I don’t know. It’s gone to a deeper level, especially as they’re getting older, too. We’re, like, best friends. We have so much fun together. We share more than we used to, across the board… It’s been really great in a lot of ways, too, even though it’s been really difficult.”
Kyle Richards reflects on her & Mauricio Umansky’s coparenting journey
In the months following their separation, Kyle and Mauricio continued living together in their family’s Encino home. Mauricio eventually secured a “bachelor pad” in West Hollywood before leasing a home in Beverly Hills. But despite their living situation, Kyle said she and Mauricio are in constant communication, especially when it comes to matters concerning their daughters.
RELATED: Kyle Richards & Mauricio Umansky Speak Out On the Possibility of Getting Back Together
“Even though we’re not under the same roof, it’s still coparenting in a way,” she continued. “There’s less coparenting to do because they’re older, anyway, but we still do discuss what’s going on in each of their lives.”
Kyle said there will be times when Portia will inform her that she’s meeting with a group of friends and plans to stay at Mauricio’s home because it’s closer to the hangout.
“Then I’ll have to call [Mauricio] and say, ‘Listen, you need to keep an eye [out] and find out who’s coming over to the house, what time [Portia] gets home,’” Kyle explained. “He’s like, ‘I’m on it. I’m on it.’ I know he makes his own rules… When there is something going on with one of my girls, we will call each other and say, ‘This is what’s going on. What do you think?’ We kind of go back and forth.”
Get the latest on Kyle’s dating life and what ended her first relationship after her split from Mauricio.
