Sister Wives split was ‘no surprise’ as Christine Brown was ‘in the process’ of leaving Kody

Sister Wives star Christine Brown was ‘in the process of leaving’ husband Kody for a while, with their recent split coming as no surprise to friends and family, according to sources.

The 49-year-old reality star revealed the end of her union with Kody on Tuesday after ‘more than 25 years together’ amid turmoil in the polygamist reality TV family.  

‘It’s no shock. She’s been in the process of leaving him for a while,’ sources told Us Weekly. ‘The big reason why she split from him is because Kody has been completed devoted to Robyn for the past five or six years. That hasn’t changed at all.’  

Moving on: Sister Wives star Christine Brown was ‘in the process of leaving’ husband Kody for a while, with their recent split coming as no surprise to friends and family, according to sources

‘He was devoted to being polygamous so he kept that going for as long as he could,’ the insider continues. ‘He serves God and believes being polygamous is his way to heaven, so it’s not necessarily about having to be in love with all your wives. It’s about who else is as devoted as he is.’  

The source added: ‘[Christine’s] really hurting. She really loved Kody. She gave him her all in hope that he would love her.

The insider noted that the COVID-19 pandemic played a part in keeping the family separated and said: ‘Kody has not been around at all. He used COVID-19 as a big excuse to not be around family. It’s been his ticket to freedom essentially. This destroyed Christine because she really tried to give her all to the marriage.’

Christine announced she ‘made the difficult decision to leave’ in a statement posted to her Instagram account on Tuesday.  

Yikes: The 49-year-old reality star revealed the end of her union with Kody on Tuesday after 'more than 25 years together' amid turmoil in the polygamist reality TV family

Yikes: The 49-year-old reality star revealed the end of her union with Kody on Tuesday after ‘more than 25 years together’ amid turmoil in the polygamist reality TV family

Called it quits: Sister Wives star Cody Brown has separated from Christine Brown after 27 years of marriage

Called it quits: Sister Wives star Cody Brown has separated from Christine Brown after 27 years of marriage

‘After more than 25 years together, Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave. We will continue to be a strong presence in each other’s lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family.

‘At this time, we ask for your grace and kindness as we navigate through this stage within our family. With Love, Christine Brown.’ 

Kody addressed the split with a statement of his own on Twitter. 

‘Christine’s decision to leave comes with a great deal of sadness,’ he posted. ‘We enjoyed many years together and I have a large amount of respect and admiration for her. Although we are moving forward on different paths, we will always remain committed parents.’ 

Kody and his four wives Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn starred in the hit TLC series Sister Wives.  

Christine became Kody’s third wife after the couple spiritually married in 1994. They  share daughters Aspyn, 26, Mykelti, 25, Gwendlyn, 20, Ysabel, 18, Truely, 11, and son Paedon, 23. 

TLC hit: Kody and his four wives - Christine, Robyn, Meri, and Janelle - starred on the TLC series Sister Wives

TLC hit: Kody and his four wives – Christine, Robyn, Meri, and Janelle – starred on the TLC series Sister Wives 

Christine announced she had 'made the difficult decision to leave' in a statement posted to her Instagram account on Tuesday

Christine announced she had ‘made the difficult decision to leave’ in a statement posted to her Instagram account on Tuesday

Meri was the first of Kody’s wives, followed by Janelle in 1993, Christine, and then Robyn in 2010.

Kody and Meri legally divorced in 2014, so Kodi could marry Robyn and give her three children from a previous marriage access to his insurance and other benefits Kody’s 18 other children have with all four of his wives.

While Kody and Robyn’s marriage is the only one considered to be a ‘legal’ union, Kody said he still considers himself ‘spiritually’ married to the other three.

In total, Kody has 18 children.

Separating: Kody addressed the split with a statement of his own on Twitter

Separating: Kody addressed the split with a statement of his own on Twitter

In addition to his six children with Christine, he shares daughter Mariah, 26, with Meri, sons Logan, Hunter, Robert, Gabriel and daughters Maddie and Savannah with Janelle, and son Solomon, one, and daughter Ariella, five, with Robyn.

He also adopted Robyn’s children from a previous marriage, son David and daughters Aurora and Breanna. 

David is also a grandfather, with his daughter Mykelti welcoming Avalon earlier this year and Maddie giving birth to two children of her own.   

While Kody and Christine have been together for almost three decades, cracks in the relationship were evident in a teaser for the upcoming 16 season of Sister Wives. 

Kody's four wives are seen together (pictured from left to right): Meri Brown, Christine Brown, Janelle Brown, Robyn Brown

Kody’s four wives are seen together (pictured from left to right): Meri Brown, Christine Brown, Janelle Brown, Robyn Brown

Starting to break: While the couple have been together for almost three decades, cracks in the relationship were evident in a teaser for the upcoming 16 season of Sister Wives

Starting to break: While the couple have been together for almost three decades, cracks in the relationship were evident in a teaser for the upcoming 16 season of Sister Wives

In the teaser, Christine discusses her desire to move back to Utah from Arizona as the family struggle over being separated amid the pandemic.

‘Covid has brought out how much we want to be a family. We’re not,’ she said in a confessional.

‘The best I could give today is pretend. I don’t want to move on the property. I want to move back to Utah,’ she later says.

Christine and Kody also have a one-on-one conversation in one scene, where she tells him: ‘I would move to Utah in a heartbeat, are you kidding me?

Hashing it out: In the teaser, Christine discusses her desire to move back to Utah from Arizona as the family struggle over being separated amid the pandemic

Hashing it out: In the teaser, Christine discusses her desire to move back to Utah from Arizona as the family struggle over being separated amid the pandemic

‘Is it on the table still?’ she wonders before Kody firmly dismisses the possibility in a confessional.

She’s then seen walking away from the conversation, saying: ‘I’m not going to talk to you.’

Christine reflects on their situation with producers, asking: ‘Why would I want to live on the same property with a dysfunctional marriage where right over there, he’s got a full-functioning marriage.’

At odds: The family struggled under lockdown

At odds: The family struggled under lockdown

At odds: The family struggled under lockdown 

Not one big happy family: The Browns were strained in a new teaser for the upcoming season

Not one big happy family: The Browns were strained in a new teaser for the upcoming season

‘Who would ever want to live like that?’ she says as the clip closes. 

This isn’t the first time Christine has been so candid about her problems in the family dynamic.

On the season 15 finale, Christine admitted she wasn’t sure if she could continue being with Kody.  

‘Meri, I can’t do marriage with Kody anymore,’ she said on the season 15 finale. ‘I don’t want to… It’s not enough.’

She also described her challenges being in Flagstaff and in partnership with Kody.

‘I agreed to move to Flagstaff, and I followed Kody here, but it’s been a struggle the whole time,’ she said. ‘I’m tired of feeling like I don’t matter, I’m tired of not having his support when I really need it. I’m just tired. I need a partnership. I need something different than this.’ 

'It would cramp my style': Christine previously told Us Weekly she enjoyed the freedom that came with being in a plural marriage and insisted she wasn't a 'monogamous person'; pictured 2015

‘It would cramp my style’: Christine previously told Us Weekly she enjoyed the freedom that came with being in a plural marriage and insisted she wasn’t a ‘monogamous person’; pictured 2015

The couple landed at the center of split rumors last year when Kody sold Christine the Arizona home they had both bought together, according to The Sun.

The $520,000 home in Flagstaff was sold to Christine for $10, according to the Warranty Deed obtained by the site. 

Last month, Christine sold the home for $700,000, according to The Sun. 

Christine previously told Us Weekly she enjoyed the freedom that came with being in a plural marriage and insisted she wasn’t a ‘monogamous person.’

‘I’ve never been a monogamous [person], never. So, I mean, it’s so out there and beyond my understanding to have a guy around every night.

‘I felt, like, it would cramp my style a lot because I’ve never had that as soon as Kody and I married. I was the third wife. And so, I really liked the independence that I have and I love the freedom that I have. I love that I can just have those evenings where I’m wearing the grossest most comfortable clothes ever and I’m just, you know, curled up on the couch with the girls, eating popcorn and playing games or something. … I feel bad whenever I say things like that — really bad.’

Sisters Wives debuted on TLC in 2010, and a year later the family landed in the middle of a legal battle when they sued the state of Utah, contesting the state’s polygamy laws.

However, in 2016 an appeals court dismissed the case.

The upcoming season of Sister Wives will premiere on November 21st at 10pm on TLC. 

Coming soon: The upcoming season of Sister Wives will premiere on November 21st at 10pm on TLC

Coming soon: The upcoming season of Sister Wives will premiere on November 21st at 10pm on TLC

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