After 13 years of marriage and three children together, Jim and Alexis Bellino have officially ended their marriage.
As fans of the reality couple know, the pair starred on Bravo’s hit show, The Real Housewives of Orange County from 2009-2013 and that is where they first gained fame. Since they have been off the show, they still remain in the public eye. In fact, Alexis still has quite a large following on Instagram with almost 300,000 followers.
But as news of their divorce surfaced, rumors swirled as to why exactly the famous pair had decided to end their relationship. In an effort to set the record straight, the pair issued a joint statement to People , informing the public that their divorce is finalized while also sharing why.
“It is with heavy hearts that we inform the public of our mutual decision to end our marriage — but it’s important to us that you know we made this choice together, with love, and as the best decision for our children’s future.”
“We hold one another in the highest regards as spouses, and especially as parents,” the statement reads. “We have agreed on 50/50 custody of the children, and we ask that you respect our privacy by not theorizing about the reasons for our divorce.”
Additionally, the couple points out that over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of “negative” discussion in the media as to why the pair decided to part ways.
“There is nothing provocative, alluring, or sordid about the dissolution of our marriage. Quite to the contrary, we strongly support each other just as we have since the beginning of our relationship,” the Bellinos share.
The couple then points out that over the course of their 13-year marriage, they have drifted apart. Though they say that their marriage was “good” while it lasted, they said that they were never perfect. The reality stars also point out that there is absolutely no bad blood or ill will for one another.
To end the statement, the couple asks for the public to respect their privacy during this tough time as well as send prayers their way.
“To the fans who have supported us since the beginning, we’re grateful for how you cheers us on — we ask that you continue to cheer as our lives and the lives of our children change and ultimately improve as a result of this difficult decision.”
In June, Jim filed the paperwork to divorce Alexis, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
The documents to finalize the divorce were filed this past Monday.