Erika Jayne: Kyle Richards, Mauricio Umansky are ‘not splitting’ despite ‘very hard’ year
Erika Jayne insists her “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” co-star Kyle Richards is not parting ways with her longtime husband, Mauricio Umansky.
“I’m going to let Kyle really explain, but they’re not splitting,” Jayne said with certainty in a Billboard interview published Friday.
“They have had a very hard time. They’ve acknowledged that,” she went on, referencing the joint statement the pair released mere hours after Page Six confirmed their separation following 27 years of marriage.
Jayne — who is still dealing with the aftermath of her own messy split from disgraced former attorney Tom Girardi — thinks it’s “best” for Richards to “tell her own story.”
“I remember when I was going through my divorce/disaster scandal, there were a lot of people speaking that really didn’t know what I was going through,” the “Pretty Mess” singer shared.
Jayne, 52, felt those aforementioned folks “filled in the blanks” — and maintained she doesn’t want to do that to Richards.
“I just know that it’s been very hard, and you’ll get to see that,” Jayne added.
“She’ll be able to explain herself, and that’s where I’d like to leave that.”
Early last week, a source told People that Richards, 54, and Umansky, 53, had “been separated for a while” but noted that they “remain amicable” and even still live “under the same roof.”
The duo, who married in January 1996, then took to their respective Instagram pages to insist that “any claims regarding [them] divorcing are untrue.”
“However, yes, we have had a rough year. The most challenging one of our marriage,” they admitted.
“But we both love and respect each other tremendously.”
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The Bravolebrity and the real estate broker went on to say that “there has been no wrongdoing on anyone’s part” and asked their followers to “not create false stories to fit a further salacious narrative.”
Despite fans’ suspicions that Richards’ extremely close friendship with country singer Morgan Wade may have contributed to her marital woes, the mother of four has denied any speculation that the two are dating.
Meanwhile, the actress, who recently told an inquiring paparazzo that she is “not single,” and the Agency founder, who is still wearing his wedding ring, have been spending time together and engaging in playful chatter on social media.
But when Page Six caught up with Bravo honcho Andy Cohen on Wednesday, he teased that viewers will pick up on signs of trouble in paradise when “RHOBH” Season 13 premieres in the fall.
“I think when you watch the new season of ‘Beverly Hills,’ you’ll be less surprised [by Richards and Umansky’s split],” he told us, even though he was admittedly “very” taken aback when the news broke.
Although filming for the upcoming season wrapped months ago, we’ve been able to confirm that cameras picked back up to capture the fallout from the shocking revelation.
“This development has rocked the Bravo world,” an insider told us exclusively.
“Producers know fans want a glimpse into how Kyle and Mauricio came to this decision.”
The estranged couple are parents to daughters Alexia, 27, Sophia, 23, and Portia, 15, while Richards shares daughter Farrah, 34, with her first husband, Guraish Aldjufrie.
