The Real Housewives of Orange County alum Braunwyn Windham-Burke hasn’t been on reality TV in a while. But, she seems to still keep a relatively high presence in the public eye with various red carpet appearances and by being active on social media.
However, it’s not all sunshine and roses for the mom of seven, as she recently shared that co-parenting with her ex, Sean Burke, isn’t the smoothest of endeavors. In addition, she is also opening up about how she stays slim despite the stresses of motherhood and being a woman in the public eye.
Fans will recall that Braunwyn was a RHOC cast member for season 15. She remained on the show for a total of two seasons before being fired by the network. Since then, she has relocated to Tennessee and is now engaged to Jennifer Spinner. However, she and Sean were married for 23 years. Of their seven kids, four are under the age of 18.
Now, Braunwyn is opening up to US Weekly and discussing co-parenting with Sean. In particular, she’s saying the woman he’s dating makes it much harder than it needs to be.
According to Braunwyn, “Now he has this, like, nightmare girlfriend. I don’t care if people [don’t] like me [for saying that because] she’s a nightmare. For me to get an answer from him, I have to go through our lawyers [and] I’m only allowed to talk to him if I email his girlfriend.”
Braunwyn’s fiance chimed in and had this to say, “Co-parenting between Braunwyn and Sean is going awful, [but] co-parenting between Sean and I is going great.“ She goes on to say, “Kids are great. They have four people in their life that absolutely adore them.”
Braunwyn adds, “One of [those people] is psychotic.” Despite her not saying which of the four, one can assume she means Sean’s new girlfriend. See Braunwyn, Jennifer, and the younger kids below.
Jennifer then jokes, “They make me not believe in straight marriage. So, that was the benefit. I mean, people are like,‘How are you guys getting married? You’re gay.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, I know these two people that are straight that were married, and it is not going well now.‘”
Braunwyn then discusses the support she has received since moving to Tennessee as well as her sobriety. For context, she has been sober since October of 2022.
She says, “We love it everywhere we go. We’ve made amazing friends. The queer community is so embracing to us. I mean, the sober community has been amazing. So I mean, I feel like home here.”
Braunwyn continues, “It’s really amazing. I went to school recently to become a sober coach so I can give back and help other people that are struggling. But I think the thing that I have realized is I don’t even want to drink anymore. I didn’t know that would happen when I first got sober. I mean, I was on the floor crying, ‘My life is over. I’m never gonna have fun again.’ Obviously, you can tell I’m still having a good time.”
It’s also important to note that Sean issued a statement to US Weekly over Braunwyn’s allegations that his new girlfriend makes co-parenting difficult. He had this to say, “It is disappointing that Braunwyn continues to make false statements. My focus throughout all of Braunwyn’s life and healing journeys over the years has been and continues to be, my children. I am fortunate to have found a partner who shares the same focus on family, with kindness and consistency.”
Braunwyn also opened up to US Weekly about being on Ozempic and why Jennifer is “starving” as a result.
Jennifer says, “She would make dinner every night when we first got together because I don’t cook or really do anything.”
Braunwyn then says, “I’m on Ozempic now. I don’t want to cook because I can’t eat! Feed yourself!”
She goes on to talk about how the drug has changed her life and how she gained weight after moving to Tennessee.
“I can fit in my old clothes. The food is different. There’s Loveless Cafe and biscuits and fried chicken… I’m not a person with a lot of self-control. I gained 20 pounds.”
She then sums up her experience by saying, “I needed help. I got help. My wife is hungry.”