The Real Housewives of Orange County star Vicki Gunvalson and Brooks Ayers have decided to call it quits after four years together. The couple announced the breakup in a joint statement on Gunvalson’s Facebook page.

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“After much prayer, thought, counseling, and consideration, we have decided to end our four year relationship,” the couple wrote. “We both wish nothing but a great future for each other. We have come to realize that one can indeed love someone in their heart, but that the time may come for their lives to take separate paths. Though the remaining episodes of Season 10 of The Real Housewives of Orange County will show us as a couple, the filming took place in January 2015 through May 2015. There will be no further statements or interviews regarding our relationship as we choose to move on with our lives. Though we choose to live our lives in the public eye we thank you for your understanding and ask privacy during this difficult time.”

This marks the second time Gunvalson and Ayers split. The couple first broke up in 2013 but reconciled in 2014 following the diagnosis of Ayers’ cancer. On the Bravo series, the pair often had to defend their relationship as it caused tension among friends and family, including Gunvalson’s daughter, Briana Culberson, who has always been vocal about her disapproval of Ayers.

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Mondays at 9pm on Bravo.

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

Dean Bextor

Staff Writer, BuddyTV