Carmella Garcia and Danny Hampel have called it quits after a decade together.
The Real Housewives of Orange County star confirmed on Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea podcast that she and Danny split “months ago” after 10 years in a relationship.
Carmella admitted that the breakup has been emotional, especially because Danny had been such a major part of her life and her children’s lives.
“I feel a range of emotions,” Carmella said. “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.”
Carmella explained that the decision was not easy because she loved Danny deeply and wanted to move forward in forgiveness. However, she said her intuition kept telling her something was wrong.
“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.
According to Carmella, dishonesty continued to be an issue in the relationship, which ultimately led her to end things.
“The dishonesty just continued, and I called it quits,” she said.
Carmella also opened up about feeling like she was never enough in the relationship.
“I have to be enough for myself and for him and for my children, and I was never enough for him,” Carmella said. “That’s an issue that I feel like is his issue.”
The RHOC newcomer described the relationship as unhealthy and said she reached a point where she realized she could not fix things for Danny.
“If I could change it for him, I would, but I can’t,” she said. “The ship was sinking, and I needed to save myself.”
Carmella said she has spent years suppressing pain, but now believes she is exactly where she needs to be.
“I’ve struggled over the years with suppressing pain, and I felt like this is exactly where I needed to be,” she explained. “I needed to walk through it, and the only way through it is straight through it.”
Carmella joined RHOC during its milestone 20th season and quickly became part of the conversation as viewers got to know more about her life, relationships and friendships within the Orange County group.