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The Real Reason RHOC’s Vicki and Donn Gunvalson Split

The Real Housewives of Orange County’s Vicki Gunvalson was one of the first original Housewives in the popular Bravo franchise. At the time, she was married to Donn Gunvalson and had been since 1994, as reported by Bravo. Audiences soon saw that Vicki and Donn were opposites who made each other better. Donn typically laughed at Vicki’s loud demeanor and encouraged her professional endeavors. Unfortunately, their differences got the best of them, and the two filed for divorce in 2010.

Vicki has since been on a downward spiral in the romance department since her divorce from Donn, saying her “love tank” hasn’t been full. Vicki claimed their divorce was amicable, but as the years went on (and her love life got more dramatic), Vicki admitted that she regretted divorcing one of RHOC’s favorite husbands.

Vicki And Donn Gunvalson Divorced Because Of Vicki’s Newfound Independence

Via Bravo

Although Vicki and Donn Ginvalson renewed their vows in front of Bravo cameras in 2009, the pair filed for divorce a year later. The Real Housewives of Orange County Housewife told People in 2010, “Donn has been an important part of my life and he will continue to be. Anyone who has gone through a divorce understands that this is a personal matter and a difficult time in our lives.”

It’s amicable and we are not at odds with one another. It’s just time.

The pair were officially divorced by 2014, all the while Vicki was busier than ever filming RHOC, running her business (Coto Insurance), and being a mom of two.

When Vicki announced that she and Donn were divorcing, her reasoning was “It’s just time.” But on the October 2024 episode of My Friend, My Soulmate, My Podcast, Vicki shared more insight into why they divorced.

According to Entertainment Now, Vicki shared, “When I was married to Donn, [RHOC] got in our marriage’s way. And I started traveling more. I started becoming, like, ‘Oh I can do this alone.'”

She admitted that she and Donn stopped “trying” for one another, leading them both to focus on things outside of their marriage. “’And there’s all these cute rich boys out there’ And I divorced him and we went sideways. He was doing his thing. I was doing my thing. We woke up one morning and we were like, ‘We don’t even like being with each other.’”

Milla Cochran/startraksphoto.com via INSTARimages & Bravo

The Housewife did say that the grass “isn’t greener on the other side,” and just because she found new partners after Donn, it didn’t mean that she was happier. “I just gave up and he did too because we were out of love. We weren’t intimate anymore. We were just kind of hanging, you know. Doing dinner. I was, like, miserable.”

More interested in her newfound independence and all the opportunities going her way, Vicki was ready for a new life outside of Donn. Years later, however, she admitted there was another reason she divorced Donn, which she now regrets…

Vicki Gunvalson (Now) Regrets Divorcing Donn

Since divorcing Donn Gunvalson and moving on to other suitors (many of whom have ended dramatically), Vicki Gunvalson admitted on multiple occasions that she should never have divorced Donn.

Via: Instar 

The Ins and Outs of Vicki and Donn’s Divorce Settlement

In Touch Weekly shared court documents from Vicki and Donn’s divorce. Their mutual bank accounts were split equally. Vicki’s $600,000 home in Coto de Caza was kept in her name, but she paid Donn $27,000 to vacate the home. Vicki also kept numerous properties, including a penthouse in Puerto Rico and a timeshare in Puerto Vallarta. A 2009 Mercedes SL550. Donn, on the other hand, also walked away with multiple properties. This includes a home in Lake Havasu, Arizona, and California, among other lavish items.

On a 2015 episode of Watch What Happens Live, Vicki told Executive Producer Andy Cohen, “I think Donn was an amazing man, so I’m not going to say he wasn’t good for me. I think that if I had to do it all over again, I would not have divorced Donn.”

Previously, Vicki shared that while Donn was a “great husband,” they stopped trying for one another and got sidetracked by things outside of their marriage. And as it turns out, one of those things was Vicki’s ex-boyfriend, Brooks Ayers.

At a BravoConn panel (via People), Vicki told audiences that she left Donn for Brooks.

I divorced [Donn Gunvalson] for Brooks [Ayers] and it’s the biggest regret I ever had. I will never, ever cheat again. It destroyed my family.

Vicki Gunvalson vs. Brooks Ayers

Vicki started dating Brooks at the start of Season 7. The two had a controversial relationship from the start, especially after Vicki’s kids were outspoken about their disdain for him. Things got more chaotic when Vicki’s close friends and Housewives raised suspicions about his intentions.

Not only was Brooks living off Vicki’s celebrity, but a massive storyline of the couple’s was his alleged cancer diagnosis. Vicki stood by Brooks and his cancer battle, but many Housewives pledged he wasn’t sick at all; he was simply looking for attention.

Brooks eventually came forward and admitted he “forged medical records,” as reported by People. “I have made my share of mistakes which I regret. I pride myself in apologizing when I am wrong or have wronged others either intentionally or unintentionally.”

Vicki broke up with Brooks and shared that she was “scammed.” In a 2024 podcast, as reported by Entertainment Now, Vicki told her fans to stop hating her or assuming that she was “in” on Brooks’ scam. “Don’t blame me. I didn’t know one way or the other. So all of you all, stop it! It’s ridiculous. It’s disrespectful to me as a woman.”

Where Do Vicki And Donn Gunvalson Stand Today?

During a September 2019 episode of Watch What Happens Live, Vicki Gunvalson shared a little more about where she and Donn Gunvalson stood post-divorce.

“No, there’s no friendship, unfortunately. I definitely have regrets on what I did. I hurt him, and I broke his heart, but I was out of the marriage mentally.” The mother of two continued, “He was not prepared for me to file for divorce, but you know, it happened, and we’re not friends. He sees Briana Troy and Owen a lot. We don’t talk at all.”

Donn has proven to still be a present stepparent to Vicki’s kids, whom he helped raise for 20 years. Vicki’s daughter Briana and her husband Ryan have shared photos on Instagram of Donn visiting their children, whom they affectionately call “Grampy D.”

Luckily, in 2022, Vicki did a Q&A on social media (via Nicki Swift) where she gave an update on her and Donn’s relationship, saying they were in a better place.

We have a very nice relationship. He’s a great man.

Because Donn isn’t active on social media or in the public eye, his current relationship status is unknown.