‘RHOC’ star Braunwyn Windham-Burke comes out as lesbian but says ‘I plan on staying married’
‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’ star Braunwyn Windham-Burke, revealed in an interview with GLAAD on Wednesday, December 2, that she is a lesbian. “It’s been something that I think everyone’s kind of known has been coming, but I’m finally comfortable enough to say,” she said in the interview. “It has taken me 42 years to say that, but I’m so proud of where I am right now.”
The 43-year-old reality TV star also spoke about her husband Sean Burke. She said, “I like women. I’m gay… I love Sean. I love him dearly, he is my person, he is my family. But I’m not attracted to men and I never have been.”
Braunwyn and Sean have been together for over two decades and share seven children -- 20-year-old Bella, 18-year-old Rowan, 15-year-old Jacob, seven-year-old twins Caden and Curren, five-year-old Koa, and two-year-old Hazel. Braunwyn and Sean, who wed in 2000, briefly separated after they welcomed their eldest son. But the two later reunited. She said in the interview that they are still going to raise their children together and intended to remain married despite the fact that she is dating a woman.
Braunwyn had earlier told Us Weekly that she was seeing someone “special” who wasn’t her husband. She said in October, “I’m not quite ready to put it all out there, everyone in my life that knows me knows what’s happening. I don’t think I’ve smiled so much. It’s good. I know if you look at social media, it seems really like crazy, but things are really good in our house right now.”
Speaking to GLAAD about this unconventional relationship, she said, “Honestly, we are in uncharted territory. I don’t have a role model for this. I don’t have anyone to go to for answers. So right now, we’re just doing our own way. You know, Sean and I are still married. I plan on staying married … we’re raising the kids together. He’s my best friend.”
Sean too showed her his support after she came out to the public. Taking to Instagram Stories, Sean captioned a photo of the couple: “I love you. I’m proud of you. And I support you. Always,” along with a rainbow emoji.
Braunwyn also spoke about her sobriety. “This year, I got sober, which I know there is a correlation between the two,” Braunwyn told GLAAD. “I know that when you get sober and you start doing the work that goes into that, you start realizing a lot of the reasons you drank had to do with who you were on the inside…This sort of became something that I didn’t want to hide anymore, and I didn’t want to keep a secret anymore. I wanna be able to go out to dinner with whoever I want without judgment. You know, as long as my husband was OK and the person I was dating was OK and knows everything. I didn’t wanna have to hide this anymore.”
Braunwyn is reportedly the first out, gay housewife. The last season of ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ saw Teddi Mellencamp and Kyle Richards outing Denise Richards for a fling with Brandi Glanville, a former housewife and guest on the season. Glanville since came out as bisexual, while Richards has left the show.