Kyle Richards had an emotional breakthrough as her ongoing separation from estranged husband, Mauricio Umanksy, continues on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
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During Season 14, Episode 15, Kyle confessed to having a very different outlook on life after both decided to part ways after nearly 30 years of marriage. However, there was one event for the Housewife that proved Mauricio was ready to move on and allowed Kyle to give herself permission to progress on her journey as a single woman.
“You can live in this La La Land for as long as you want, but that was a hammer on the head, saying, ‘Hello, Kyle! He’s moved on; it’s OK,'" Kyle said in her confessional. "'You’re both entitled to live your lives.'"
The answer? Leaked photos of Mauricio kissing a younger woman in an airport in Greece, which made rounds through the tabloids, blindsiding Kyle — and the other Housewives.
“In seeing these photos, I think it makes it pretty clear that this is permanent,” Kyle continued. “And I don’t think it’s going to be easy to come back from that.”
Kyle addressed the headline-grabbing pics, for which Mauricio was apologetic, after inviting first-time diamond holder Bozoma Saint John to her home. Despite Kyle trying to keep her emotions in check for the one-on-one meeting, it was difficult for her to hold back the tears.
Regarding the split, in general, Kyle admitted, “I didn’t even know if that’s what I wanted to do.”
She also doubled down that she didn’t believe Mauricio would have intentionally hurt her or their children by having the photos published, and that he “feels bad as it is” that they’d been leaked to the press. But it left things uncertain, especially since Kyle was unsure about Mauricio’s commitment to the unnamed woman.
Kyle Richards reveals she wanted to continue living with Mauricio Umansky
Continuing to open up to Boz, Kyle said some of her would have been happy if she and Mauricio struck a deal where they could still live under the same roof while maintaining separate lives. But, once Mauricio decided to move out of the family home, Kyle realized her vision was “just not realistic.”
“When he finally said, ‘I am going to move out,’ it was strange,” Kyle told producers. “It was like, ‘Wow. This is really happening.’”
As Bozoma and Kyle attempted to get to know one another better, Bozoma shared her own story about her late husband, Peter Saint John, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer after they decided to split. Bozoma, like Kyle, struggled to see her husband move on, which she realized when seeing a woman rub John’s head and give “tender kisses” during one of Bozoma’s visits to see her daughter’s father at the hospital.
Coming to terms with separation was something both women now had in common.
“I understand where Kyle is because the pain of seeing someone that you have built a life with move on is unlike anything else,” Bozoma said in her confessional. “It’s hard to fathom that it’s possible for them to do that.”
Where Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky stand after the airport photos of him kissing another woman
Later, Kyle and Mauricio faced one another for the first time since the kissing snaps went viral. Things were “awkward” for Kyle, but there was no avoiding the elephant in the room.
Mauricio said he was “really” sorry about the photographs and never meant to hurt anyone. Kyle, understanding that Mauricio knew nothing about the lip-locking moment being caught on camera, wondered if the unnamed woman hadn’t leaked them herself.
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As emotional as it was for Kyle to see, she acknowledged they were both separated.
“I think about, ‘How did we get here? If we care about each other so much, how did we allow this to happen?’” Kyle wondered aloud. “Everything we built … this is like the rug really being ripped out from under your feet. I did not expect my life to go in this direction.”
More to come as The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills continues, with all-new episodes airing Tuesdays at 8/7c and streaming the next day on Peacock. In the meantime, see Mauricio's full apology to Kyle about the airport photos.
