Years after their messy divorce in 2019 (including a police intervention!), Real Housewives of Orange County star Gina Kirschenheiter and her ex-husband Matt say they’re all good.
Of course, we know you want a rundown of what happened. Here we go.
Divorce. Rekindled… Domestic Violence?!
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Gina and Matt from RHOC tied the knot on May 15, 2010, and were married for eight years before they split. Gina said they had been in a down by the time she signed on to be in the show. But she didn’t know that it would lead her to actually pull the trigger and call it quits.
For the entire season that Gina was in the series, Matt had never appeared – not even once – because of his job. That strained their relationship, considering they hadn’t spent as much time together.
That wasn’t just the only thing. Gina confessed that the real reason behind her legally filing for a divorce was that she no longer felt loved by him.
She also added that things started crumbling down after they relocated from the east coast to Southern California. “He’s just not that person who compliments you and builds you up and makes you feel great,” she opened up.
Then there was also the cheating on Matt’s part. Add to that the fact that he continued seeing her after he and Gina drifted apart.
Gina eventually called off the divorce, revealing that they ultimately decided to give their marriage another try. Opening up to her mother on an episode of RHOC, she said that she felt like this was the first time Matt was in the fight for his family. She also felt that they were more connected than ever before.
“I’ve been through a lot with him. I’m going to embrace this and I’m going to try this because this is my family,” Gina said. The two shared three children – the eldest, Nicholas, followed by two more, a daughter and a son named Sienna and Luca.
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She started letting him back into her life, and they were even sleeping together. Talking with fellow RHOC housewife Emily Simpson, she told him that Matt had changed and he would never cheat on her again. Of course, the trust issues were still there.
Unfortunately, the happy days of their rekindled love didn’t last long.
One early morning on a Saturday, the couple had a big fight. Gina said that her husband, Matthew Kirschenheiter, allegedly physically abused her and even threatened to kill her while their three young kids were sleeping in the other room.
According to reports, the fight started as an argument in the evening. Matt then showed up unannounced at 2 am and started pounding on the door, eventually breaking into Gina’s Orange County home.
Police arrested Matt that evening after Gina ran to her neighbor’s house asking for help. He was still reeling and blaming Gina for getting him arrested.
Gina was also granted a temporary restraining order against her husband, citing other incidents, including one involving a shotgun that scared her in the past.
Matt was charged with two felony counts of domestic violence and initially pleaded not guilty. Then after Gina made a victim’s impact statement, he changed his plea to guilty. They have since finalized their divorce and have been co-parenting their children.
Moving Forward
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It was definitely a rough time for Gina and her kids after that, but the couple eventually made amends.
In her confessional, she said that the victim’s impact statement brought her closure. Matt had also stopped blaming her for everything that had transpired and even stepped up despite the punishments and repercussions.
“He understands and has taken responsibility for what happened there, and that has allowed me to really let go of any negative feelings,” she shared.
While they were never going to be best friends, she acknowledged the fact that he had been a good dad and co-parent.
Before giving her statement, Gina felt conflicted as she and Matt had been having a great relationship as co-parents. She knew that he could go to jail.
According to Us Weekly, Matt was sentenced by the Orange County judge to 180 days in county jail or alternatively serve time with a bracelet monitor, finish a 52-week batters program, and three years of formal probation.
Gina couldn’t imagine her kids not seeing their father, especially since, for the longest time, their feelings had always taken precedence over hers.
Ultimately, she knew that it would be good and healthy for her. At the very least, she wanted him to know how she felt that night because it was ‘literally the most significant event that ever happened in her life.’
According to reports, since Gina Kirschenheiter’s divorce from Matt, she had been dating Travis Mullen. She has been very happy with their relationship, feeling amazing and loved.
