Sharing her side. Katie Maloney didn’t hold back while emotionally addressing what led to her split from Tom Schwartz.
“I am sure all of you have heard that Tom and I have announced via Instagram that we are ending our marriage. As I said, it is something that I never thought I would have to announce but here we are,” Maloney, 35, said during an episode of her “You’re Going to Love Me” podcast on Friday, March 18.
The reality star noted that the news “may or may not come as a shock” to some people, adding, “Now that it is out there and I can share a little bit more. I will probably be sharing more as time goes on. It is still a tender topic.”
Earlier this week, the twosome took to social media to confirm in separate statements that they had parted ways.
“Well this sucks,” the TomTom co-owner, 39, wrote alongside several photos of him and Maloney over the years. “I’m not the victim. Not gonna write too sad a song. Fully respect Katie’s decision and we’ve had healthy, productive conversations about it. It would be far sadder if she decided to stay with me whilst not happy.”
Schwartz admitted that his “heart aches” as he deals with the major life change. “How am I supposed to capture 12 years of love in a f–king canned Instagram caption. I’m not quite ready to use the ‘D’ word bc it’s too painful,” he continued. “We had some of the most blissful, romantic, fun times humanly possible over the course of our relationship. I’m talking heaven on earth level joy. She taught me so much about love & being a better partner.”
On Friday, Maloney opened up about the struggles that she faced ahead of pulling the plug on their relationship after 12 years.
“I realized that I had to really start prioritizing myself and my happiness as well. It just needed to happen. That’s just what everything inside of me was saying, I thought it got to a point where I just felt like I was going to burst,” she revealed. “For months, it was building up. I felt just disconnected. I felt like I was drifting further and further away.”
Shortly after the pair announced the news, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that not everyone in their lives saw it coming. “They weren’t living this fairy tale and a lot of their friends picked up on that,” an insider shared, while noting that certain Vanderpump Rules cast members “weren’t even aware that they were officially separating” until their social media statements.
Another source revealed that the breakup wouldn’t affect their potential future on the show. “Fans will see their divorce play out,” the insider said, adding that no contracts have been signed yet for season 10.
Scroll down for all of Maloney’s bombshell confessions about her relationship with Schwartz: