Sister Wives stars Kody Brown and Christine Brown are getting real about the struggles in their relationship.
In a clip from the upcoming Sunday, December 5, episode via ET, the former couple, who called it quits last month after 25 years of marriage, opened up about the troubles that plagued their union.
Christine, 49, revealed in her confessional, "Kody and I have been struggling for a while. We're not close. It was actually painful, emotionally to be there, to be honest."
"It's hard to see him with everybody. It's really hard to see him in functional marriages when we don't have one. It sucks," the TLC star admitted. She shares children Aspyn, 26, Mykelti, 25, Paedon, 23, Gwendlyn, 20, Ysabel, 18, and Truely, 11 with Kody.
"It's terribly awkward. It's just the place that Christine and I are in," Kody, 52, added. "We're in a terribly awkward place. This is not the experience of people who are soulmates or people who even love and respect each other in a deep way. This is an experience of distance."
The COVID-19 pandemic put extreme strain on the father-of-18 and his three other wives that include Meri Brown, Janelle Brown and Robyn Brown. In the preview, it is revealed that Christine and Kody's daughter Ysabel will be having surgery — but her father is apprehensive about being in attendance due to the risks of the pandemic — a decision Christine is not so happy about.
"I'm just having regret 'cause the whole damn situation is breaking my heart," Kody explained about the possibility of not being there for his daughter. "The whole thing with Isabelle doing the surgery, and the whole thing with my family and this disparity in behavior during COVID, is really, really, really hard on our family."
As OK! previously reported, the estranged husband and wife each made their own announcements last month that they were going their separate ways. "After more than 25 years together, Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave," Christine said in a November 2, Instagram post. "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."
"Christine's decision to leave comes with a great deal of sadness," Kody said in a statement of his own. "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."
