Mauricio Umansky wants to make it clear that he and estranged wife Kyle Richards are, in fact, separated.
“Kyle and I are human beings, OK? We have emotions, we have feelings, we’re going through a really hard time, OK?” the “Buying Beverly Hills” star, 53, told TMZ on Friday.
“We are currently separated, we are not talking about divorce and we’re trying to deal with this stuff internally with ourselves privately.”
Umansky’s clarification comes after he confused fans — and even Richards, 54, he told TMZ — by insisting on a recent episode of the Agency Dallas’ “Red Mic” podcast that he and the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” OG were “not separated.”
The Agency founder explained that he only meant to say that divorce is not up for discussion at this point.
“Divorce is not part of our conversation right now. That is not part of what we’re dealing with. We’re dealing with a separation,” reiterated Umansky, who wed Richards January 1996.
“We’ve had 26 amazing years,” he continued, emphasizing that the past year has been “really tough” on the pair. However, “we’re not ready to throw in the towel yet,” he added.
Umansky — who shares daughters Alexia, 27, Sophia, 23, and Portia, 15, with Richards — asserted that the “Halloween Kills” actress did not cheat on him with her country singer pal Morgan Wade.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Kyle has not slept or cheated with Morgan Wade. They are really great friends,” he said. “They are filming stuff together, they’re doing stuff together. They are not in a relationship.”
Whether they stay together or not, Umansky said that he and Richards will “always love each other” and will “always be friends.”
Richards — who also shares daughter Farrah, 34, with ex-husband Guraish Aldjufrie — came out to support Umansky at this week’s first taping of “Dancing With the Stars” Season 32 on which he is competing.
Umansky told TMZ that the distraction of the ballroom has been “therapeutic” as he and Richards figure out their future.
“‘Dancing With the Stars’ has been amazing … it’s made me feel like a kid,” he said. “I feel like I’m 15 years old right now. I’m having the time of my life.
“It’s been really good for me to be dancing and to be dealing with all of the stress and everything I’m going through with ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ It could not have come at a better time.”
In July, sources told People that Umansky and Richards had “been separated for a while” but maintained an “amicable” dynamic living under the same roof.
The latter called rumors of an impending divorce “untrue,” further shutting down speculation of “wrongdoing.”
