Carmella Garcia has confirmed her split from boyfriend Danny Hampel after a decade together.
Garcia, 44, revealed she “called it quits” with the general contractor “months ago” during an exclusive interview’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” Thursday. The “Real Housewives of Orange County” star joined the Bravo franchise this season for its milestone 20th season.
“I feel a range of emotions,” Garcia told the podcast. “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.”
The luxury real estate agent has been transparent about her relationship troubles on camera. In Episode 6 of the current season, she disclosed that Hampel had cheated on her four years prior. She did not specify the exact catalyst for the final breakup, but indicated she uncovered something “gravely inappropriate” shortly after production wrapped.
“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’s sons from her previous marriage, Jason, 17, and Jax, 15, have “struggled” most with her decision. She maintained that modeling the relationship for them would have been harmful.
“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.”
The mother of four shares all her children with ex-husband Jeff Garcia, the former NFL quarterback. Their daughters are Presley, 18, and Faith, 14. The former couple wed in 2007, announced their separation in 2020, and remain legally married.
Co-stars Jennifer Pedranti and Tamra Judge have served as “amazing” support systems through the breakup, Garcia noted. She identified watching their relationship unfold on television as the “hardest part” of the experience.
Garcia initially felt reluctant about reentering the dating pool. She has since assembled what she described as a “team of therapists” to process her own patterns.
“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.”
The “Real Housewives of Orange County” airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo, with next-day streaming on Peacock.