An America’s Next Top Model alumna and her husband of four years are going their separate ways.
In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Eva Marcille filed for divorce from attorney Michael Sterling stating that their union is “irretrievably broken.”
“This has been one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make, but sometimes life takes your journey in a direction you were not expecting,” Marcille told PEOPLE. “Our children remain our biggest priority and the eight and half years we have spent together will always be cherished. We ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
The couple wed in October 2018 and are “currently living in a bona fide state of separation,” Marcille’s attorneys wrote in the filing.
The pair share three children, Michael, Jr., 4, and Maverick Sterling, 3. Marcille shares a daughter, Marley Rae, with Kevin McCall, who she dated before marrying Sterling.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta reality star is seeking legal and primary custody of their children in addition to child support and medical costs.
The Los Angeles native also wants the court to grant her “equitable division” of the couple’s assets as well as her own separate property. She further wants their debt to be “equitably divided.”
It’s been almost two months since she last posted an Instagram picture of Sterling, who was last seen on her page standing on a yacht. The caption only shows a sunflower emoji.
“I luv me some Eva, but Hollywood needs to change the wedding vows!! You guys give up so easily,” a fan wrote in the post’s comments following news of the breakup. “We realize you are human, but try to work it out. Making multiple children quickly, affects them as well.”
On Sterling’s Instagram page, he last posted a picture of Marcille on Valentine’s Day with the caption “My forever Valentine, adding “I am so in love with you that there isn’t anything else. Happy St. Valentine’s Day. #thesterlings”
At the time of their wedding, Bravo filmed the ceremony which aired in 2019. NeNe Leakes, Kandi Burruss, Cynthia Bailey, Porsha Williams and Marlo Hampton were some of the guests in attendance at the extravagant affair.
“I promise to love you unconditional, unrelenting, comforting and eternal. I promise you not only this present love, but future love,” Sterling said in his wedding vows. “The future love that can’t forecast the unpredictability of life but is prepared to withstand the hardships, the pains, and the struggles.”
And in Marcille’s vows, The Young and Restless actress said, “Michael, you’re my safe place. In a world that is often disappointing, you give me hope. Learning to love the biggest part of me, my daughter Marley, holding my truth and my fragility firmly in your hands, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was designed for you. Our bond is unbreakable and our love is pure.”
