Kyle Richards on Wednesday opened up about her feelings towards Mauricio Umansky, admitting on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen that she was “taken aback” by recent photos of her estranged husband holding hands with his Dancing with the Stars partner Emma Slater.
“That was very hard to see,” the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 54, told Andy Cohen, in her first interview since that she and Umansky had separated after 27 years of marriage.
“Yeah that was, I mean, yes, that hurt my feelings,” Richards continued, after confirming to the Bravo host that she was upset. “I love him very much and we are amicable but that really did hurt me.”
Photos obtained by TMZ on Monday appeared to show Umansky, 53, and Slater, 34, walking hand-in-hand in athleisure clothes, the two smiling and laughing before going to dinner together in Beverly Hills on Sunday.
Asked by Cohen on WWHL if she thought something was going on between the two, Richards appeared to confirm her suspicions. “I mean, holding hands like that? I mean, Andy… I really don’t — why are you doing this to me? I just don’t think you hold hands like that.”
“The things is this: I don’t know if anything’s happened yet but obviously there’s something there,” she added.
Richards’ friend Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave, who was appearing on WWHL alongside her former RHOBH costar, suggested that Umansky and Slater wanted to be seen. “They’re in Beverly Hills,” she said. “It’s not like they’re in some remote location! They’re in the middle or Beverly Hills. You know photographers are going to follow you!”
Following the publication of the photos, Richards deleted a post from her Instagram in support of Umansky’s run on DWTS. She confirmed to Cohen that she did it because she was upset.
“Listen, I love him very much and we are amicable but that really did hurt me,” she said.
Her pain didn’t stop her from supporting her estranged husband, though. “I also voted for them. Yeah, I did,” she said. “I even sent the proof to the family chat. I did my votes and I sent the screenshot to the chat.”
Perhaps ironically, Umansky’s dance on Tuesday’s DWTS was in honor of Richards, who he said supported him during his “most memorable year.”
That year, 1996, was “a year of change” for Umansky. He had just gotten married to Richards and they had just welcomed their first child together — daughter Alexia, now 27. The three were living in a two-bedroom condo with Farrah Brittany (née Aldjufrie), now 34, from Kyle’s first marriage to ex Guraish Aldjufrie.
Things took a turn when Umansky was fired from his job and was no longer able to provide for his family. “I felt like an absolute failure of a human,” he said, noting that Richards had to clip coupons for them to survive and eat. “It was an extraordinarily emotional moment in my life.”
His now-estranged wife ultimately encouraged him to get into real estate, where Umansky said they “rose up” and got back on their feet. Looking back on the challenges he overcame, he shared that it served as “motivation to never be in a position where I can never put food on my table again.”
“Tonight’s Dance on [ DWTS] is about life and how it’s not always perfect,” he wrote ahead of the performance on Instagram, alongside a gallery of throwback photos of his family and rehearsal pics from the show. “When you think it’s impossible to move mountains and you’re at your lowest moment and you think all doors are closed, you need to rise up and rise unafraid and move mountains.”
Richards and Umansky, 53, have been married since January 1996. In addition to Alexia and Farrah, the pair share daughters Sophia, 23 and Portia, 15.
A source close to the Richards and Umansky told in July that the estranged couple “have been separated for a while now but are still living under the same roof. They remain amicable as they figure out what’s next for them and their family.”
At the time, Richards and Umansky denied rumors they were getting divorced but admitted to having a “rough year” in a joint statement posted to Instagram.
Earlier this month, Umansky opened up about navigating a difficult period in their 27-year marriage, saying that though they’re “having a bit of a rough patch,” they’re “not yet throwing in the towel.”
On WWHL Wednesday, Richards said that their separation was her idea. “It originated from me, I’ll say,” she stressed, before explaining that the two are currently living on separate floors of their California mansion.
She also spoke out about how her children reacted to the news, saying that it was “really, really devastating” for their “whole family” at first.
“Our phones were blowing up, our kids were crying and wouldn’t leave the house. It was really, really difficult,” said Richards. “But now they’re much better and they’re really strong. They’re just so together and so smart and they’ve been my best, best, best friends. I could not be more proud of them. They’re just amazing human beings. Thank God I have them through this.”
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen airs Sundays through Thursday evenings on Bravo.
