Heather Gay found out in real time that Whitney Rose had filed for divorce from Justin Rose, and her reaction was emotional.
While appearing on SiriusXM’s Reality Checked with Kiki Monique to promote the new season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Heather was asked about the news that Whitney had officially filed for divorce from Justin.
Heather immediately appeared caught off guard.
“Whitney filed for divorce from Justin. It just broke,” Kiki told Heather, explaining that Page Six had reported the filing.
Heather responded, “Oh, okay.”
Kiki then noted that Heather seemed shocked by the news, especially since viewers knew Whitney and Justin had separated.
Heather admitted she thought the couple was still trying to work through their issues.
“Yeah, I’m a little shocked,” Heather said. “I thought that they were just separating and working on it.”
Heather then became visibly emotional as she processed the news.
When Kiki acknowledged how upsetting it seemed for Heather to hear, Heather explained that her sadness came from her love for Whitney, Justin and their family.
“It’s just kind of like, you know, I love Justin. I love their family,” Heather said. “I know how hard divorce is. This sucks.”
Heather, who has gone through divorce herself, said she cannot imagine having to experience something that personal so publicly.
“And I can’t imagine doing it on this platform, like, publicly,” Heather said. “I can’t imagine Page Six posting about it and me having to deal with that with every person I see at the grocery store, and with my kids.”
Heather reflected on her own divorce, explaining that she handled it quietly and slowly because of how painful it was.
“I divorced so secretly, like secretly and slowly, like molasses slow,” Heather shared. “And I did that to protect how difficult it was.”
Because of that, Heather said she feels for Whitney having such a private matter become public news so quickly.
“I can’t imagine ripping the Band-Aid off like that,” Heather said. “It would be really, really hard, really difficult.”
Whitney officially filed for divorce from Justin Rose after more than 15 years of marriage. According to Page Six, Whitney cited irreconcilable differences in the filing and listed their date of separation as September 10, 2026.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star requested joint legal and physical custody of their two children, Bobbi and Brooks. Whitney also asked the court to award her alimony and have Justin pay her attorney fees.
Whitney and Justin’s marriage has been part of RHOSLC since the show premiered, with the couple often opening up about their relationship, family life and past challenges on camera.
Their split comes after Whitney previously confirmed that she and Justin had separated and were living apart. However, Heather Gay’s emotional reaction made it clear that she believed the couple was still trying to work through their issues before learning that Whitney had officially filed for divorce.