Erika Jayne is ready to talk about her divorce from Tom Girardi, but as the reality star points out, "It's so f--king complicated."
In Wednesday night's episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Erika prepares herself for the inevitable discussion with her cast mates, but as she says in the confessional, "There's so many layers to this divorce. It's so f--king complicated. It's very difficult to explain."
Erika says she understands why the ladies are probably "very shocked" and are going to have "a lot of questions," especially since she broke the news over text. That message read, "Ladies, I truly consider you my close friends and this is why I'm reaching out to tell you that I filed for divorce this morning. Thank you for supporting me. This will be tough."
Later in the episode, the ladies gather at Sutton Stracke's for a party, when conversation turns to the divorce. Lisa Rinna said she never anticipated Tom and Erika's split, saying, "I instantly called her and, you know, I was just as surprised as we all were."
Dorit Kemsley was equally taken aback, but she and Kyle Richards said they simply "don't know enough about what's happening."
Without explicitly mentioning Tom's age, Garcelle Beauvais speculated why Erika chose to split from the 82-year-old at this stage in his life, questioning, "Shouldn't she wait?" While Dorit admitted, "I literally know what you're thinking," Sutton shut down the theory.
"I didn't say it!" Garcelle responded. "I'm implying it and y'all are slow."
Then, as Erika arrives for the party, the episode ends before they can truly grill the newly single Bravolebrity about her marriage problems.
However, in a preview for next week's RHOBH, Erika is shown telling the women that she herself "did not see it ending this way." She shared, "I was going to hold that man's hand until he died."
E! News was first to report Erika and Tom's divorce last November. In a statement, Erika said, "After much consideration, I have decided to end my marriage to Tom Girardi. This is not a step taken lightly or easily."
"I have great love and respect for Tom and for our years and the lives we built together," the reality star continued. "It is my absolute wish to proceed through this process with respect and with the privacy that both Tom and I deserved. I request others give us that privacy as well."
Following the announcement, a source close to Erika told E! News, "The reason Erika filed for divorce was infidelity."
The insider claimed Tom had an affair with "more than one woman" and that he'd previously been caught cheating years prior. Though Erika gave him a second chance, the source said he continued his infidelity and "she came to the conclusion she needed to end the marriage."
At the time, E! News reached out to Tom's team for comment and did not heard back.
Tom is currently embroiled in legal problems as past clients have come forward to accuse him of fraud and embezzlement. Erika was also mentioned as a defendant in the suit, however, neither Tom nor Erika have filed responses to the complaints.
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