Wilford Harewood/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty ImagesNot all love is lost between Cynthia Bailey and Peter Thomas.
Fourteen months ago, Bailey announced she had separated from Thomas amid allegations that he'd been unfaithful. On Sunday, the exes honored what would have been their sixth wedding anniversary. Tellingly, the Bravo reality stars appeared solo in the photos they shared with fans.
"We were friends first," the Real Housewives of Atlanta star wrote in her Instagram caption. "@peterthomasrhoa #july24th #weddinganniversary #6years #godsknowsbest #ingodshands #thisjourney #mydress #thisday #beautifulmemories #humbled #grateful #thenextchapter #noregrets #1life2live #prayersandpositivity #godknowsall." On a similar note, Thomas wrote, "July 24 is a day that will forever be a part of me. #AnniversaryLife #CynthiaBailey #BetterOffFriends."
When Bailey announced their separation in May 2015, she told The Daily Dish, "I am definitely taking some time to myself to figure out how I want to move forward. I don't want to rush into anything, so I think this time apart is good for us. And I think the space apart—I think he can appreciate it as well. I think it gives people time to think and process and just move forward in a way that really is healthy for everyone involved." With Bailey living in Atlanta and Thomas living in Charlotte, they both had time to think it over. "Regardless of where I am with Peter, he is my husband. I will always love him, and I will always support him. And I believe he feels the same about me," Bailey said. "Whether or not we decide to stay married or not, that's something that we have to decide soon. But right now, I'm enjoying the time apart, taking time for myself."
Around that time, a video surfaced showing Thomas kissing another woman. He took to Instagram to release his own video, in which he said, "There's stuff all over Instagram that makes me look like a big ass cheater. That's not what it is. That's a friend of mine at a club that I was talking to. Looks crazy—I know it does, so I'm apologizing to my wife. I'm apologizing to my two beautiful daughters…Daddy's not a cheater." Thomas later deleted the video explaining his actions. Bailey shared her side while speaking to Atlanta radio station V-103. "When I saw the video, I thought it was inappropriate…but I'm not going to set his clothes on fire," she said. "I'm going to need him to be a little more careful with who he's kissing on or looking like he's kissing on or putting his hands on the neck or grazing their breasts." In spite of her fans' and her co-stars' concerns, Bailey still wanted to give Thomas the benefit of the doubt. "My marriage is not perfect. We're going to deal with this issue as husband and wife. Most marriages go through their share of challenges, and ups and downs. Peter and I are no exception. I felt the video was inappropriate and embarrassing. I expect him to accept full accountability for his actions. We are coming up on our five-year wedding anniversary and we will deal with this situation as husband and wife," she told Us Weekly. "I appreciate everyone's well wishes, and concerns."
Bravo's cameras rolled as Bailey embraced her newly single status, all while trying to figure out whether she could make her marriage to Thomas work. But in the end, she decided it was over.
"I want to take some time for myself. I think the time apart has been good for him as well. It wasn't like I had to do it right this second but the more we got used to not being together and living together, the easier this divorce is going to be," she told E! News exclusively in July 2016. "I don't want it to be an ugly divorce because I still love Peter. I just don't want to be married to Peter anymore. It's as simple as that. I still root for him. I want him to win. I still love and support him. We are just not going to be married anymore." Bailey added that she thinks their relationship will improve after the divorce is done. "I am really optimistic that in the end, after we take some time, we are going to be friends at the end of this because that was the start."
Bailey's interview "blindsided" Thomas.
Appearing on The Wendy Williams Show last week, he said they only spoke about "separation," but he didn't know that Bailey intended to divorce him. "We were separated for about five or six months. I think I've only seen Cynthia once—because I'm in Charlotte and she's in Atlanta. We've been doing this a long time. We got married on the show, and everything that we do, it's under a microscope, you know? And Cynthia's not really good at dealing with that whole pressure. That's not who she is. We talked about separation, but we didn't talk about divorce."
Thomas said his phone was "blowing up" after Bailey's E! News interview. But, in spite of the embarrassment Bailey caused him, Thomas told Wendy Williams, "I loved being married. I loved going to bed with one woman, waking up with one woman. I wear my wedding brand proud. My parents were married 52 years." Thomas said Bailey didn't "embrace" their marriage as fully as he did, as she'd been "single" and "independent" for much of her adult life. "Getting married at 42, when you now have to compromise and you have to share decisions—I don't think she really embraced that," he said. "Especially when you're a successful black woman."
As viewers suspected, Thomas said the drama will play out on the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Later, fans accused him of wanting to "hold the peach"—i.e., be a star like the women. "I don't want a dime from our divorce," he insisted. "She can have everything."
(E! and Bravo are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)