After months of silence, Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams is speaking out for the first time since finalizing what she calls a “nightmare” divorce from Simon Guobadia. On June 11, a Georgia judge officially ended their brief, headline-grabbing marriage—and now, Williams is ready to share her side.

“You go through different stages,” Williams says candidly to People. “You have that anger. You have the moment where you have to fight for your life in a court situation. And then, toward the end, you have the clarity where you realize you are still blessed.”

It was a whirlwind from the start. After going public with their relationship in 2021, the couple tied the knot in not one, but two weddings—a Nigerian ceremony and an American celebration. At the time, Porsha believed she had found lasting love. “I’m a true hopeless romantic. Once I decide to be with you, I dedicate everything to you,” she says. “And Simon matched my energy… we were freakin’ extra.”

Their 17-year age gap, Porsha believed, brought wisdom and safety to the relationship. “I felt very protected by him. I felt like I met someone I could trust,” she says. “He was very upfront about the things he did in his past relationships and how he had worked on himself.”

But things changed drastically. When legal issues surrounding Guobadia’s immigration status came to light—including deportation tied to past financial crimes—Williams says the reality of her situation became impossible to ignore. “We had a real serious conversation because, being a supportive wife, I wanted to deal with this head-on,” she recalls. “I begged for him not to leave the country. That was not honored.”

A Valentine’s Day confrontation became the breaking point. “There was some paperwork that needed to be handled, and I wanted to bring in some attorneys to represent me, and that was frowned upon,” she explains. “It wasn’t really what he said, it was a look—a look that just felt dark.”

Porsha filed for divorce just eight days later.

“I loved him so much because I trusted him, and I felt safe with him, and that’s what I lost. I couldn’t trust him,” she says. “Honestly, I feel like I filed before I was ready to file. I filed out of necessity to protect myself.”

Despite the split, Williams insists there was no cheating involved. “There were some old habits, some desires he wanted to accomplish outside of family,” she says. “And I think that he possibly chose those things over me.”

Financially, Porsha came into the marriage prepared. “In my past I was really naive and gave up everything to be married,” she explains. “But this time I came in as a businesswoman… I did a prenup. I was responsible.”

That prenup ultimately protected her. Following their final court hearing, which Williams attended remotely from Scotland while filming The Traitors, the judge ruled in her favor. “I feel relieved,” she says. “I think the feeling was mutual for me and him. We were both ready to close this chapter and move forward with real life.”

For their daughter, Pilar “PJ” McKinley—whom Porsha shares with ex Dennis McKinley—the transition was especially tough. “Pilar, she really thrived in it. She loved Simon. She loved having brothers and sisters,” Williams remembers. Eventually, she had to tell PJ the truth. “‘Pilar, Mommy and Papa aren’t together anymore… But we both still love you.’”

When Pilar asked to call Guobadia, Williams says she reached out, but “he didn’t respond. That was difficult. I cried my eyes out for her.”

Leaning on her support system, Williams turned to PJ’s father. “I told him, ‘I really need you and I to be close right now.’ And he stepped up in every way,” she says. “And she’s really doing well. I’m so blessed to have her father support me through this transition and put her first.”

Behind the scenes, Williams was grappling with heartbreak while filming RHOA season 16. “You’ve got to put on a different face, a different energy, just to do your job,” she says. “So I compartmentalized it and said, ‘Okay, this is work. I’m going to clock in and get it done.’”

Now, with the divorce behind her and the prenup upheld, Williams is ready to move forward. “There’s a whole new life that you can start.”