Braunwyn Windham-Burke is coming clean about her husband Sean’s role in her alcoholism.
On Wednesday night’s episode of “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” Braunwyn told co-star Gina Kirschenheiter that Sean managed and enabled her when she was drinking.
“I’m lucky, though, because I have Sean,” she said while acknowledging that she tried to keep her sobriety under wraps. “He has been managing me for so long. He has been really good at keeping the image I needed protected.”
The mom of seven explained that Sean would help take care of her when she was drunk at events or became sloppy.
The 42-year-old then said, “He actually started going to Al-Anon too because he’s very — … he’d be like, ‘Oh, I’ll come and get you. I’ll do this. I’ll babysit you.'”
In a previous episode, Sean — who’s been married to Braunwyn for 20 years — admitted to “enabling” his wife during a Valentine’s Day dinner.
“I kinda feel guilty about enabling you to let things go so far,” he said. “Of course I saw that there was issues.”
When Braunwyn asked him why he let her spiral, he responded, “I think because in my mind I try to make your life like the best I can even if it’s not the right choice. I don’t know. I think I get lost up in it too.”
In the new episode, Kirschenheiter, 36, also questioned Braunwyn and Sean’s relationship. Braunwyn previously confessed that she and Sean had split for a time over a decade ago, but they worked things out and even had a vow renewal ceremony.
Now, Braunwyn and Sean appear to be going through another rough patch in their marriage as they are not currently living together.