RHOP's Ashley Darby Finally Reveals The News We All Saw Coming

Ashley and Michael Darby have kept viewers of "The Real Housewives of Potomac" tuning in to watch their dramatic romance since the two joined the reality television show in 2016. In a 2016 interview with Bravo, Ashley revealed how they met. She was 22 and bartending in Georgetown. One day, she says, "I was talking to my manager in the main office when I watched Michael walk in on the security camera ... Even with a blurry, black and white picture, I was hooked." She went on to describe the feeling as love at first sight. However, it wasn't until a few months later that they began officially dating. They got married in 2014 and have since welcomed two sons, Dylan and Dean.

Since tying the knot, Ashley and Michael's marriage hasn't been easy. There are some considerable differences between the two, including a 29-year age gap, as per Entertainment Tonight. There have also been multiple occurrences of infidelity on both sides, according to The US Sun. In one episode of "RHOP," Michael admitted to taking another woman to a hotel for the night. In a September 2020 Instagram Story, Ashley also confessed to being unfaithful to her husband, via The US Sun.

Given the tumultuous nature of their marriage, it makes sense that fans have been wondering how long it could possibly last. Ashley has now officially delivered an answer to this question,

Ashley Darby gave a statement to Bravo's The Daily Dish on April 19, regarding her marriage to Michael Darby. As fans have been anticipating, the duo is officially going their separate ways. Ashley wrote, "We are now both at very different stages in our lives and have different goals for our futures. We both want the other to achieve true happiness and fulfillment and feel that we cannot do this together."

Despite the end of their marriage, it seems the former couple is separating on good terms. "While our romantic bond is broken, we will always love and respect each other," she penned in the statement, adding that their focus will be on co-parenting their sons. In a follow-up Instagram post, Ashley has only kind words for her marriage. Alongside a screenshot of the Bravo article, she wrote, "It's been almost 8 magical years."

While fans may have been waiting for this outcome, it doesn't seem like Ashley was. Even just a couple of months ago, she was still affirming that the two would stick together, as per E! News. In an interview with the publication on February 13, she said, "We definitely have had our share of issues [and] some of them have been very public. Ultimately, I think that it's reminding myself that Michael is the person I chose to spend my life with." Unfortunately, it seems that the reality television star may have spoken too soon.