Braunwyn Windham: Jennifer Spinner is first ‘mentally stable’ person I’ve dated
Braunwyn Windham has upped her dating game with her new girlfriend, Jennifer Spinner.
“I think this is my first relationship with someone that’s mentally stable,” the “Real Housewives of Orange County” alum, 44, tells Page Six in an exclusive new interview.
“I’ve never had that before,” she continues. “And a part of me thought, ‘Is that going to be boring?’”
It turns out, however, that Windham loves being with someone of sound mind.
“It’s not [boring]. It’s actually really nice to be with someone that has their life together [and] is mentally stable. We don’t really fight, we just talk things out,” she says. “Wow, it’s a game-changer.”
Before Spinner, Windham — who came out as a lesbian in 2020 — explored a romance with Victoria Brito. The former Bravolebrity and the model-dancer broke up in June after less than a year of dating.
“I am feeling all the things — heartbroken and sad, but I’m still sober, and that’s what matters,” Windham told Page Six when the split news broke. “Whenever it feels like the world is crashing and ‘What now?!,’ I turn to my sobriety.”
A source previously told us that distance played a role in Windham and Brito’s breakup.
“Long-distance relationships are hard, and that was no exception with Braunwyn and Victoria,” the insider shared. “While they spent a lot of time in New York, they both had to travel for work a lot.
“Vic had to travel quite a bit internationally, and the distance created communication strains in their relationship.”
Although Windham wasn’t looking to get into another serious relationship so soon, she was delightfully surprised when Spinner, 38, slid into her Instagram DMs this summer.
“When I broke up with my ex-girlfriend, I guess I was doing this emo Taylor Swift moment thing [on my Story], and she’s like, ‘Oh, my God, girl, you’re 44. Knock it off.’ She was like, ‘Pull yourself together,’” Windham recounts with a laugh.
“And she was so funny. We have the same kind of sarcastic sense of humor. And then within like five minutes, I’m like, ‘OK, here’s my number.’ We started talking. We got along so well.”
Windham admits that Spinner once “couldn’t stand” her as a viewer of “RHOC.” The TV personality ended her tenure on the reality show in 2021 after two consecutive seasons.
“She was like, ‘Oh, my God, that one’s the worst.’ She had gone to BravoCon three years ago and wouldn’t go to the side of the room I was taking photos,” she explains. “Like, she legit couldn’t stand me.”
But things changed when Windham departed the series and began opening up about her LGBTQIA+ identity via social media.
“Then she started following me because she knew my ex-girlfriend [Brito]. She was like, ‘Oh, my God, who is dating this girl?’ At the time, she was dating someone who was closeted, and she loved how out I was,” she says of Spinner.
“And she’s like, ‘I really resonated with your content. And I got to know you on Instagram that you were nothing like how you were on the show.’”
Shortly after celebrating 1,000 days without alcohol, Windham tells Page Six that she is extra appreciative of Spinner, who ardently supports the star’s sobriety.
“I am really, really lucky. Jen has a family that is also part of the recovery community. She understands that being an alcoholic in recovery isn’t just not drinking. She knows the backstory from her own family,” Windham says, revealing that Spinner has a sister who is sober.
“And I love that. I love being with her family because they don’t drink. They understand recovery. It’s so beautiful.”
Spinner currently divides her time between New York City and Germany, but she is looking for a place in Orange County, Calif., so that Windham can spend more time with her kids as she navigates her divorce from her now-estranged husband, Sean Burke.
The mom of seven — who shares Bella, 22, Rowan, 20, Jacob, 17, twins Caden and Curren, 9, Koa, 7, and Hazel, 4, with the California businessman — filed to end her 22-year marriage in October, citing irreconcilable differences.
“I know that I made the right choice. This has been a long time coming. Obviously, I’m gay, I’m in a relationship with a woman. But … I had this idea of a modern family, and I really did think we were going to be able to pull it off,” Windham reflects.
“I really did, like, with my whole heart,” she acknowledges without further elaboration about what pushed her to file. “It takes two people, and it takes a lot of honesty, it takes communication, and it just wasn’t what I thought it was.”
Although Windham has said she most likely won’t get married again, an exception could be made for Spinner.
“I could change my mind in a heartbeat because, at the end of the day, I am a hopeless romantic. And there would be something nice [about] walking down an aisle and see [her] waiting for me,” she gushes. “That would be pretty beautiful.”
Windham adds, “I love her. I love her so much. I just, I love her.”