‘Real Housewives of Potomac’ star Ashley Darby gets honest about being on the show after separating from Michael

While The Real Housewives of Potomac star, Ashley Darby, is a veteran on the show, Season 8 is very different for her after her separation (impending divorce) from her husband after eight years of marriage.

"Not only am I doing this show as a single person but I’m doing life as a single person," Darby said in a statement to Yahoo Canada. "I’ve known Michael since I was 23 years old and now, I’m 35 years old. So yes, while the show has been a big part of my life and that’s how a lot of people have gotten to know me, I’m also going through this inner transformation, learning how to be who I am."

"What I appreciate about our show, The Real Housewives of Potomac, is that it is true, what we are going through in our personal lives is accurately shown. I appreciate that I get to share with other people, what this journey looks like and to connect with so many other people who are going through very similar things."

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The Real Housewives of Potomac

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Darby is certainly not shying away from talking about the reality of her newly single life, with her two sons she shares with Michael.

At the beginning of the season (available to watch on Hayu), as we see Darby in her new home, she openly talked about how having Michael's name on her mortgage made her feel like she had a better sense of "security" after years of marriage where he was the person in the relationship responsible for the finances.

"It was challenging for me to even acknowledge and come to terms with the fact that I was seeking comfort in having that security of Michael being a safety net on my home," Darby admitted. "I felt a little guilty about it, if I’m being honest, because while I love Michael, still I love Michael, as hard as that is to say, I love and was with him for the person he is, not for what he has."

"So, now that I’m embarking on this new chapter, and we don’t have the romantic connection, we were very financially intertwined. He was the utmost provider. I never had to worry about any bills. Michael planned every trip that we ever took. He took care of everything in the home and I was so grateful for that. Almost like took it for granted, to be honest, and now that I have to do all those things for myself, I’m understanding just how much he did and how much goes into it and B that there’s a lot at stake in the event that something does happen."

Darby also took a piece of advice from her co-star Gizelle Bryant, who told her to approach this adjustment "head on."

"There is this whole notion of you either sink or you swim and especially now that I have kids, I realize that I have to swim," Darby stated. "So, I advise the women, because … I’ve interacted with quite a few women who are going through this, we have to make ourselves knowledgeable about what our finances are."

"We have to be financially knowledgeable. We have to talk to people who know what they are talking about and just really be wise with our finances because it’s really hard being one income."

‘The Real Housewives of Potomac’ is the ‘real deal’

Looking back at how she thinks she's grown over the course of being on Real Housewives of Potomac, Darby has learned to "trust the process."

"I started the show when I was 27 and I was newly married. I was married for one year, when they asked me to be on the show," Darby stated. "We were opening a restaurant. Life was just so unknown, so exciting and so fresh and I just had hearts for people. I was just in love with everything, I was so blissful."

"Now that it’s been eight years, I’ve had ups and downs. I’ve had two amazing children on this show. I’ve had to unfortunately close my business, which was sad and I’ve had to end my marriage, but I’ve also mended friendships, I’ve mended some of my family relationships. I’m starting a new business and I’m now starting a new chapter of my life. And I have this optimism that is similar to what I had when I first started the show but certainly different. It looks a little different now."

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The Real Housewives of Potomac

Watch The Real Housewives of Potomac on Hayu with 7-days free, then $6.99/month

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When it comes to the success of Real Housewives of Potomac, Darby has stressed that what makes this franchise, in particular, really connect with people is that the cast is "genuine."

"The relationships that we have aren’t just for the camera," she identified. "We see each other, we hang out off camera, we care about each other."

"Yes, we’ll have disagreements but ultimately, at the end of the day, when it matters, we will show up for each other. If we care for each other as women, as Black women, as Black women in America, there is like this fibre that connects us. So, it gets messy, yes. Like you may do something that pisses me off. I don’t like what you said, X, Y and Z, but in my opinion, I’m really only speaking for myself, but I do think there is a level of humanness that keeps us grounded. And what you see is what you get. I think a lot of fans, especially at BravoCon, when we get to meet you and interact with you and you see that we really are who are on TV, we are not putting up a charade, they’ll let you know, yeah Potomac is the real deal."

Where to watch 'The Real Housewives of Potomac'

Watch The Real Housewives of Potomac Season 8 on Hayu.

Full previous seasons are also available to watch on the streaming site.