What you need to know
Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker prove that family comes first.
The day after announcing their divorce, the couple held a Snow White-themed party at Ready, Set FUN! to celebrate their daughter Blaise’s 6th birthday. In Atlanta.
On Friday, Nov. 21, Burruss, 49, announced her separation from Tucker, 52, in an exclusive statement with PEOPLE. She said the couple decided to go their separate ways after 11 years of marriage and two children together.
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“After much thought and much prayer, I have made the decision to proceed with divorce. These are difficult and emotional times, but my focus remains on protecting my peace, being the best mother I can be, and co-parenting with love and respect,” Burruss told PEOPLE.
“I am stepping into a new chapter dedicated to work, family, and personal growth,” she added. “We would like to thank everyone who has supported us over the years. We ask for privacy, grace, and understanding as we go through this period of transition with our family.”
Burruss and producer Tucker met while filming Season 4 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2011 and announced their engagement in January 2013. They got married in April of the following year.
On November 22, 2019, five years after the birth of son Ace, the couple gave birth to daughter Blaze with the help of a surrogate mother. In 2020, Burruss initially revealed that surrogacy was a “difficult decision,” but looking back, she said, “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“We were just trying to think, okay, should we do this? How can you trust someone with your most precious possession, your most precious gift… someone you barely know?” she shared on a 2020 episode of Parents magazine’s We Are Family podcast.
“But now that everything is over, I wouldn’t change anything. It was the best decision we could have made,” she added.
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Burruss, who is also the mother of 23-year-old daughter Riley, opened up to PEOPLE in 2018 about her IVF journey with Ace.
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“My husband and I went through the IVF process to get Ace, and of course it was very emotional,” she said at the time. “I definitely cried when Ace came out.”
Currently, 9-year-old Ace is already involved in the entertainment industry. He is the host of his own YouTube channel Ace Plays And Giveaways with over 20,000 subscribers.
Back in September, Burruss, who will return to Broadway to star in “Juliet” from Dec. 6 to March 8, spoke to PEOPLE about her love for her family and how she prefers forgiveness to stewing over arguments.
“People think it’s weird that I move on so quickly from an argument, but I don’t need an apology,” the singer and reality star said. “I know people who don’t even talk to their families. That’s really crazy to me!”
