Carmella Garcia and her boyfriend, Danny Hampel, have broken up after 10 years of dating.
The “Real Housewives of Orange County” star confirmed she “called it quits” with Hampel, a general contractor, “months ago” while speaking exclusively to Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” Thursday.
“I feel a range of emotions,” Garcia, 44, told us. “I feel sad. It was a 10-year relationship. It was somebody that was around my children. But, at the end of the day, I needed to put myself first.”
Garcia — who joined “RHOC” this season for its milestone 20th season — has been open about her relationship struggles on the show, sharing in Episode 6 that Hampel had cheated on her four years ago.
Although the luxury real estate agent did not reveal the exact reason why she broke up with Hampel, she did say she discovered he had done something “gravely inappropriate” soon after they wrapped filming.
“It was a very difficult situation because it was somebody that I loved very deeply, and I truly did want to get to a place of forgiveness, but I oftentimes ignore my intuition and there was just something deep down that I felt like I just didn’t trust,” she said. “The dishonesty just continued and I called it quits.”
Garcia shared that her sons from her previous marriage — Jason, 17, and Jax, 15 — have “struggled” the most with her decision, but acknowledged that it was “not a healthy” relationship to show her children.
“I have to be enough for myself and for him and for my children, and I was never enough for him,” she said. “That’s an issue that I feel like is his issue.”
“If I could change it for him, I would, but I can’t. The ship was sinking and I needed to save myself.”
Garcia said the “hardest part” of the breakup has been watching their relationship back on the show, noting that co-stars Jennifer Pedranti and Tamra Judge have been “amazing” support systems.
As for whether she’s ready to start dating again, Garcia said she was initially hesitant, but she’s since hired a “team of therapists” to help her work through some of her own issues.
“I’ve struggled over the years [with] suppressing pain, and I felt like this is exactly where I needed to be,” she said. “I needed to walk through it, and the only way through it is straight through it.”
Garcia shares four children with her ex-husband, former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia. In addition to their aforementioned sons, they also share daughters Presley, 18, and Faith, 14.
The pair tied the knot in 2007, before publicly announcing their separation in 2020. However, they still remain legally married.
“The Real Housewives of Orange County” airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo, with new episodes available to stream the next day on Peacock.
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