Leticia Cline has gone public with her breakup from “American Pickers” star Mike Wolfe after nearly a decade of keeping their relationship private.
Cline, 48, took to Instagram Stories last Thursday to announce that she and Wolfe, 61, are “no longer in a relationship” following seven years together. The model and television personality framed the split as the culmination of months of private turmoil that she had long chosen to keep hidden from public view.
“For the past two months, I’ve been trying to come to terms with things that have left me absolutely devastated,” she wrote on the platform.
Cline’s post drew a sharp distinction between Wolfe’s public persona and his private behavior. “While the world continues to see one version of someone, I’ve been living with a very different reality,” she continued in the Instagram Stories statement.
The Kentucky native suggested that her silence had come at a personal cost. “There is so much I have kept private over the past 10 years. Things I witnessed, things I experienced, and things I stayed silent about because I loved someone and believed I was protecting him,” she wrote.
Cline indicated that the relationship had involved a decade of guarded secrecy, predating the seven-year romantic partnership by several years. She now views that protective impulse differently. “I have a great deal to say. And there are reasons I’ve remained quiet for so long,” she added in the post.
The most pointed portion of Cline’s message centered on the gap between Wolfe’s public image and her lived experience. “What I will say is that the person the public knows and the person I knew behind closed doors are not the same,” she penned.
Cline stopped short of detailing specific incidents or allegations, instead framing the post as a preliminary step toward fuller disclosure. “I need time to process everything and decide how to move forward. But I will no longer protect a narrative at the expense of my own truth,” she concluded.
Wolfe has not publicly responded to Cline’s statement.
The “American Pickers” host has built a career on his folksy, approachable persona as he travels the country hunting for antique treasures. The History Channel series, which premiered in 2010, made Wolfe a familiar face to millions of viewers and established him as one of reality television’s more enduring personalities. Cline, a model and actress, had been linked to Wolfe for years though the pair maintained a relatively low public profile compared to other reality television couples.
The split marks a significant personal rupture for Wolfe, who has previously spoken about the challenges of balancing his television career with family life. The Kentucky-born Cline has her own following from modeling work and occasional acting credits.
Cline’s decision to air the breakup on Instagram Stories rather than through a joint statement or representative suggests a deliberate choice to control the narrative herself. The ephemeral nature of Stories, which disappear after 24 hours, contrasted with the permanence of her accusations about Wolfe’s private character.
The “American Pickers” franchise continues to air on the History Channel, with Wolfe remaining the central figure following the 2021 departure of longtime co-host Frank Fritz.