In a joint statement released last week, Real Housewives of Atlanta reality star Cynthia Bailey and her news host husband Mike Hill announced they were calling it quits. And as the model and actress put it, she’s ready to begin a new chapter.
During BravoCon 2022 in New York last weekend, she said that she is at peace with her decision and was grateful for all the support from fans.
“I feel good with my decision, honestly,” she said. “Mike and I made the announcement literally the day before I came to BravoCon, so I haven’t had a lot of time to sit with it publicly yet, but certainly a lot of thought went into it privately before we actually announced it.”
The two-year marriage began after a brief dating period between the pair, who allowed cameras into her personal life as she fell in love with Hill and wed during her final season on the show. It appeared the marriage was made to last but ended earlier this month after the pair released a joint statement acknowledging that “no one is to blame and we are grateful that we remain good friends.”
She added that BravoCon has been a great way to occupy her mind with the more positive side of life, which includes her thousands of fans who have sent a stream of support following the divorce announcement.
“[BravoCon] is a great distraction. Seeing all the fans and the housewives, I haven’t had any sleep let alone time to really think about my announcement,” she said. “I’m going to have some good days and some bad days, but my love and respect for Mike will always be there. I’m just happy that it’s not some big ugly, horrible divorce where we hate each other and all that stuff.”
Bailey ended her contract with RHOA earlier this year, but she says the reality show franchise will always be near and dear to her heart.
“I was on ‘Atlanta’ for 11 years, so I’ve seen the evolution of all of these other shows and these women are like my sisters,” she explained. “One of the things about being a Housewife is no matter what you go through with them, there’s a sisterhood! Any woman on any franchise that can survive being a Housewife deserves my love because it’s not easy. It’s so easy to sit in your living room and watch these shows and say, ‘If I had been there I would’ve done this!’ No, you wouldn’t have! It’s not easy being a Housewife. This is great TV, but it’s not easy.”
She further added that she’s excited about all the new opportunities that have come her way since being on the show.
“When I left Atlanta, I literally hit the ground running,” she said. “No 1, we got a cute paycheck for being a Housewife! For me, I always wanted to be an actress, but my modeling career always trumped it — and then I was busy being a reality star, but I knew acting was something I’d have to take seriously and focus on.”
