Dorit Kemsley Reveals She and PK 'Are Not Talking About Reconciliation': 'There's a Lot of Work to Do' (Exclusive)

Dorit and Paul “PK” Kemsley are taking things one day at a time.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star recently opened up to PEOPLE about how she’s coping with her divorce from PK after 9 years of marriage. After discovering he was a “full-on alcoholic,” Dorit says they focused on healing before starting to repair their marriage.

“We are not talking about reconciliation,” she says. “We are not in that part. I think there is a lot of work to be done, absolutely. Children come first and co-parenting is of the utmost importance to both of us and I think the only way to do that and to do it well is to remain friendly and friends. It’s always my first choice. Now with PK, sometimes he can choose whether we stay in that space or not, so we manage it.”

Why I am RHOBHDorit Kemsley and husband PK Split? Looking back on their 9-year marriage and what they had to say about the divorce

Paul Kemsley and Dorit Kemsley attend the 31st Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards at West Hollywood Park on March 12, 2023 in West Hollywood, California.

Lester Cohen/Getty

Although there has been speculation about the couple’s relationship for years, Dorit claims that she was never dishonest about their marriage.

“PK and I decided to part ways, it was even done amicably,” she says. “And we went through some really tumultuous years, but we weren’t at a point where we were separated living under the same roof. We were navigating some murky waters.”

“There’s still a lot of love,” she continues. “This was a choice and a decision that was made. It was made jointly, at the initiative of PK, and it was at a time when, okay, we were trying to work on this, we have good moments, we have bad moments.”

Why RHOBHDorit Kemsley and her husband PK have decided not to tell their children that they are separated

The announcement of their separation caused confusion among them RHOBH viewers because just four months before, Dorit said she and PK were the best they’d ever been at the Season 13 reunion. However, he says that statement was correct at the time.

“When I was shooting the series, PK and I were never in places that were negative and tried to hide it,” she notes. “I don’t think you can really do that, to be honest. When I was filming the reunion and Andy asked how we were doing, PK had been sober for four months and it was a completely different world.”

Paul “PK” Kemsley and Dorit Kemsley.

Jesse Grant/Getty

“We didn’t have answers to many things,” she adds. “If PK and I had divorced last year, I would have talked about it. If he decided to get sober or realized he had a drinking problem, we would talk about it. But the nature of this season, a lot of things came to light and I shared them as they came. And that throughout the season.”

Dorit says that the deeper PK got into his sobriety and his journey to recovery, the more he realized the importance of prioritizing himself during this time. To support him, Dorit explains that their separation was an important part.

“He and I were super close, and I think things became very clear after he made the decision to get sober and go on the road, and he had a lot of work to do,” she says. “And I think that was a contributing factor to our decision [say]’Okay, let’s split up, let’s separate for a bit, work on ourselves individually and collectively and see where we end up.’ And I hope the audience will take it for what it is. This is not, ‘Oh, I’m finally going to be honest.’ This is me being open about what happened.”

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The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Tuesdays at 8pm ET/PT on Bravo and may air the following day on Peacock.

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Source: HIS Education