Exclusive

Brooks Ayers Says Deciding to Split From Vicki Gunvalson Was Like a ''Piano Lifted Off My Back''—Watch!

Reality star opens up about going to counseling with his ex

By Bruna Nessif, Melanie Bromley Oct 18, 2015 7:00 PMTags

It seems like Briana Culberson isn't the only one who may have felt a sigh of relief when Brooks Ayers and her mother Vicki Gunvalson broke up.

During an exclusive sit-down interview with E! News, Ayers explained that he and Vicki began seeing a counselor back in March. He said he talked about their relationship not being a lasting one, and saying the words stirred some new feelings in him.

"I said, 'Listen, we need some third-party help. I'm not gonna be influenced by you,'" he told us. "So we began seeing, of all things, a reality TV couples counselor. We made the decision that we probably weren't going to be for forever, and when I made that statement mid-July in the counseling session, it was like…the piano was lifted off my back."

Meanwhile, Vicki had a different choice of words when discussing their split.

Brian To/FilmMagic

The Real Housewives of Orange County star appeared on Watch What Happens Live recently and told host Andy Cohen that she and her ex-boyfriend of four years are done...for good. Cohen asked the reality TV star why she decided to call it quits, and she said it was a result of "a lot of things."

"I just think the conflict with [daughter] Briana, and him and I. Being from the South, he really wanted to go back to the South," she explained. She also said that filming her series took its toll.

"I just think the stress of the show, and he's sick," she continued, referencing Ayers' cancer diagnosis. "At the end of the day it just didn't work anymore. Long term we were not going to work. Short term it was amazing." 

To hear more of our exclusive with Brooks, watch part one of our interview on E! News Monday at 7 & 11 p.m., and don't forget to catch the first part of The Real Housewives of Orange County season 10 reunion Monday night at 9 p.m. on Bravo.

(Bravo and E! Online are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)