Braunwyn Windham-Burke became a reality TV star practically overnight, with her 2019
debut on Season 14 of The Real Housewives of Orange County. Unlike many of her castmates,
she was actually a housewife — and mother to seven kids. From her 20-year marriage,
to her personal struggles, we're dishing on Braunwyn's life off-camera.
"You can only box someone up for so long before eventually they just have to break
that damn box and turn it into confetti." Braunwyn was only 18 and still in college
when she met her future husband, Sean Burke. The happy couple would go on to marry in 2000,
and raise their seven children together. Two decades later, the pair were still the
picture of success as they celebrated their 20th anniversary with a vow renewal in Palm Springs,
California. But their relationship wasn't always as perfect as it looked.
"We've been through infidelity. We have gone down this road, and Sean and I came back stronger."
On The Daily Dish, Braunwyn admitted that she cheated on her husband,
even though they were technically separated at the time. She explained that Sean was
working 25 days out of the month, and wasn't able to prioritize their family. She said,
"I just didn't want to be a single mom anymore."
Braunwyn had moved to Hawaii with her kids, and it was there that she had a casual fling with a man.
But just months later, Sean flew to Hawaii to win her back — and even proposed again. She said yes.
"My name is Braunwyn and I'm an alcoholic." The reality star revealed her struggle with
alcohol on the show's Season 15 premiere. But a decade prior,
a devastating miscarriage in her 30s made Braunwyn's dependence on booze even worse.
On the show, she confessed to a therapist that she started relying more on alcohol
and drugs to get her through one of the darkest times of her life, recalling,
"I started taking Xanax and drinking, and it spiraled. I don't remember this,
but I guess I went into my closet for about five days."
Braunwyn had fallen so deep into her grief that she was admitted to a hospital,
where she finally found help. At the time, she said of her other children,
"I could barely hug them,
I was so shaky, I couldn't sit still, I couldn't sleep. It was awful."
Fortunately, this devoted mama and her family would pull through and
ultimately find success with a little help from science…
These days, Braunwyn and her hubby are the proud parents of seven kids. But co-star
Gina Kirschenheiter probably described the family best, when she said on the show,
"Braunwyn, you have more than a basketball team of kids."
While most of the Windham-Burke gang were conceived naturally,
some of the younger kids arrived with a little help from IVF. But it appears
it may have worked a little too well. Braunwyn recalled,
"The plan was to have five, but when we got to five, we realized that we weren't complete.
We still felt like someone was missing."
By the time she used up all her embryos, Braunwyn was the mother of seven beautiful children.
"I knew I wanted to have a lot of kids. Moderation's not my thing."
Braunwyn and Sean have lived in several different cities,
but Orange County kept calling them back. After all, Braunwyn was born and raised in
Laguna Beach — and it's no wonder she felt like a fish out of water when she suddenly found herself
trying to blend in with the crowd in Washington, D.C. She told the Orange County Register,
"When I'm living in very conservative Washington D.C.,
wearing my side dresses that were popular at the time,
people would be like, 'Oh, she's from Orange County,' and then they'd kind of laugh about it."
But while she was living in Miami,
Braunwyn felt like people viewed her as being more conservative. She added,
"So depending on what part of the country [I was in]
it made my crazy personality or my more conservative personality make sense."
"I like to have lots and lots of fun."
But, once an Orange County girl, always an Orange County girl it seems. Braunwyn and
her family moved back home several years before she would find her true calling in reality TV…
"This is one of those things that you think is gonna turn out ok. It got so much worse."
After nearly two decades of dedicating her life to her kids,
Braunwyn was looking for something of her own. And she found it when
Housewives producers gave her a call. She told the O.C. Register,
"I've been a stay-at-home mom for 19 years now. So when [producers] initially reached out to me
I said, 'You know what? Absolutely! I think it's time in my life for me to do something for myself,
and I think I would really enjoy this.'"
"These women are horrible. They lie to each other all the time."
Braunwyn connected with production after becoming friends with Housewife Kelly
Dodd. The aspiring reality star had always been a huge fan of the show,
tuning in at night after her kids were asleep. But does she have
any regrets about jumping into the drama herself? Not for one second. She told People,
"I've learned a lot about myself. I feel like becoming a housewife has been one of the best
decisions I've ever made because it made Braunwyn a fully formed person instead of just a mom."
Braunwyn shocked fans in 2020 when she revealed some big personal news.
"I like women. I'm gay. You know, I'm a member of the LGBTQIA+ community."
"It has taken me 42 years to say that."
The star explained that it was while she was on her road to recovery from alcoholism,
that she realized it was time to finally own her true identity.
Sharing that she has never been straight or at all attracted to men — even though
she's married to one — she had kept it a secret from others and herself for a very long time.
People reported Braunwyn already has a girlfriend who goes by the name of Kris,
even sharing a selfie of the two on Instagram. And though the news was a surprise,
eagle-eyed Housewives fans may have already suspected it. While
Braunwyn was never openly gay on the show, there were clues she may have been queer.
"I like women's lips."
She once made out with former co-star Tamra Judge, and confessed to having
three-ways with her husband and another woman, on his birthday every year.
"I kinda was like, 'This is your birthday present,' so it started as a joke.
And then it became, like, ok for every monumental birthday, this will be your gift."
But if you're wondering just how all of this works within her marriage, we're glad you asked…
Braunwyn and Sean certainly appear to be the picture of a typical happy couple,
especially after renewing their vows for their 20th anniversary. However,
Housewives fans probably saw a shakeup coming. After all,
almost every couple who has televised their vow renewals on the show have later split.
Just take Vicki and Donn Gunvalson, or Shannon and David Beador, for example.
"I love Sean. But we are going through the motions of husband and wife."
Of course, this situation isn't as simple as two people merely drifting apart.
Although Braunwyn made her orientation public,
she has no plans to divorce her husband anytime soon, telling GLAAD in December 2020,
"Sean and I are still married, I plan on staying married. We are not sleeping in the same bedroom
right now, but we are in the same house. We are raising our kids together, he's my best friend."
That same month, Page Six spotted Braunwyn and Sean in Santa Barbara celebrating their
daughter's birthday. Looks like this open marriage is working out for them so far.
We're betting that raising seven kids can be more than overwhelming at times.
But this mama seems to be able to give each of her children all the love they'd ever need.
"Are you excited? Yeah! You're not nervous about doing this at all? No. I'm excited!"
Braunwyn announced on Instagram in January 2020 that her oldest son,
Jacob, was planning to dip his toe into the world of drag.
And since then, she's shared photos of her son, a.k.a. Divine Devon, writing,
"We are so proud to be your parents and honor your strength."
"I had incredibly bad depression for about a year and drag helped me get out of that."
Braunwyn also helped her second-oldest daughter, Rowan, heal from an eating disorder
and obsessive-compulsive behavior, according to The Daily Dish. Rowan has even shared her
mental health battle on YouTube. Braunwyn told People that her daughter gave her the green light
to discuss her struggles on the show, saying that she wanted to be able to help others.
As a current star of a reality show where the cast is always filming at a bar or glitzy event — and
drinking up a storm — Braunwyn's journey toward sobriety has remained a daily challenge.
"I kind of hit a bottom that I haven't hit in a long time. So, I'm 30 days sober today.
And I want a drink so f------ bad, it hurts."
During a Season 15, Braunwyn claimed she was scared to reveal to the other
housewives that she's an alcoholic and had made the decision to stop drinking, adding,
"There's a fear that I'm going to lose Shannon as a friend. We've always been drinking buddies."
But despite her anxious feelings, Braunwyn knew she had to sober up.
She told Entertainment Tonight that she quit drinking on January 23rd,
2020. But this wasn't the first time she's tried to get sober. She revealed,
"I've struggled with this for many years. This is not my first time trying to get sober.
I went to rehab 10 years ago, this is not new."
While she thought she could do it on her own, cold turkey, it proved to be too difficult a task.
Braunwyn said the Housewives production crew — who she's grown very close to — was
instrumental in convincing her to attend her first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
While it might come as no surprise to loyal fans,
Braunwyn's closest friend from the show is Tamra Judge.
"Tamra has become one of my best friends on the show. I probably call her twice a day."
Although Tamra left the franchise just before Season 15,
the pair got to know each other well during their time as co-stars.
According to a post from Braunwyn, Tamra was apparently the only Housewife that was there
for her following some very personal announcements. She wrote on Instagram,
"[Tamra] knew I was sober and kept it to herself,
she knew we were struggling with our daughter's mental health issues and
listened. She got me through a day that was so hard I was physically shaking."
From the wild times at Shannon's birthday party to celebrating the holidays together,
Tamra and Braunwyn's friendship has only gotten stronger with time.
For this Housewife, health has always been a priority. Braunwyn was first diagnosed with skin
cancer at age 19 — with a stage two malignant melanoma. She shared in an Instagram Story,
"I was very young and we had to go through radiation. I
had to get it cut out. I have a huge scar."
Now in her 40s, Braunwyn makes it a point to see the dermatologist every four months. And
her commitment is paying off; in early 2020 she discovered a mole that ended up testing
positive for melanoma. Fortunately, doctors were able to treat it quickly, before it caused any
further issues. Braunwyn reminded fans to take care of their own skin, posting on Instagram,
"Get checked often! My cousin died from melanoma when he was 36.
So, go every four months if you’re like me. Get checked."
"I had had this mark on the side of my butt for a long time."
"It was just a little, like, freckle."
Braunwyn isn't the only Housewife who had a brush with skin cancer,
either. Tamra Judge was also diagnosed with a melanoma in 2020.
"Cheers to bad choices…Holla."
Hold the presses; Braunwyn's current home is positively hooked up. She explained in
an Instagram story that her family initially had to move out of their former house after
encountering problems with getting permits for filming the show. But it looks like
they've come out winners with their new rental. And we're officially jealous.
Braunwyn says that her family spends most of their time at home in the kitchen,
which features an island large enough to seat the whole gang. But when her kids want to play,
they can hang out on their own pirate ship — a two-story playground that
features bunk beds and a loft. And when mom wants to play,
all she has to do is invite all her favorite housewives over to her very own nightclub.
"We have so much fun in here. We invite all our friends over,
we dance the night away, and we have the best time."
Seven kids later, Braunwyn truly looks like she's never even seen a french fry in her life.
So how does she do it? According to her Instagram, it appears that one way she stays fit is by doing
pilates with daughter Rowan. According to Bravo, she also loves working out at Orangetheory,
a boutique group fitness studio with locations all across the country.
The Housewives star also swears by Belly Bandit,
which she says helped her get those rock hard abs back after every pregnancy.
"I just wanna know how you have had seven children and look like that. I look just like my mother."
Having worked her butt off for it — and with a little help from good genes — Braunwyn is all
about rockin' that bod. She often shares swimsuit shots with her more than 300,000
Instagram followers, and she offers frequent fitness and diet tips. According to Bravo,
she's even had several fans ask her how she looks so fit. As Braunwyn tells it,
she now approaches fitness in a much more positive way than she ever had before. She explained,
"I work out to be strong instead of skinny. It kinda shifted my entire mindset."
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