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More specifically, Gina revealed that while she and Travis used to be in similar situations with their exes when they met four-and-a-half years ago, she’s now officially divorced and happily co-parenting with her ex, but the same can’t be said for Travis. In fact, he’s still going through tumultuous divorce proceedings with his estranged wife.
As Gina put it in a confessional interview, “I feel like in my home it’s me, Travis, six kids, and Travis’s baggage. And it’s too much.”
Another problem? When Gina and Travis first moved in to their three-bedroom house, the kids were much younger and could happily coexist in bunk beds.
“Now, they need space. They need privacy,” Gina explained. “We went and we looked at houses, and we looked at what it would take to get into a house the size of our family, and we can’t afford it. Honestly, my gut is telling me that we need to live separately and see where the chips land.”
Gina Kirschenheiter’s Emotional Breakdown Over Her Relationship with Travis Mullen
Understandably, Gina’s decision to change up her living situation isn’t an easy one.
“This has been really, really difficult and heavy. I get scared too, because I don’t want to be alone. And I’m gonna have to be alone,” Gina told Emily Simpson during the emotional conversation on the RHOC Season 18 premiere.
Elsewhere in a confessional, Gina added that Travis is the first person she feels like she’s truly been in love with. “I don’t ever want to break his heart, and I don’t want to live without him. But I know inside that if I don’t try this, then I’m going to lose him,” she said. “It sucks.”
Travis Mullen’s Thoughts on Gina Kirschenheiter Wanting to Live Separately
Later in the episode, Gina and Travis sat down to further discuss the situation. While Travis didn’t love the decision, he thought it was one that had to be made.
In response, she explained, “I do value our family and I value our relationship. It’s the most important thing to me, so like, even you being willing to try this is a very clear indication of how incredible you are. That’s why I don’t want to lose this. I don’t want to lose you in the process, you know?”
Travis, for his part, made it clear that no one has a crystal ball to see how everything might work out; They’ll just have to see what happens.
Fans first learned about the couple’s updated living situation in a press release for Season 18. “[Gina’s] relationship with Travis takes an unconventional turn when deciding she wants to live separately but stay together,” it read.
Still, we were left with lots of questions — and it seems we’re going to get our answers sooner rather than later.
To see more of Travis and Gina, tune into RHOC Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock.