Braunwyn Windham-Burke came out as gay in an interview with GLAAD (Noel Vasquez/Getty)
Real Housewives of Orange County star Braunwyn Windham-Burke has come out as a lesbian, saying it took her 42 years speak openly about her sexuality.
Windham-Burke came out in an interview with GLAAD on Wednesday (2 December), where she revealed that she has never been attracted to men, but plans to remain married to her husband Sean Burke.
“I’m finally comfortable enough to say: I like women. I’m gay. I’m a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. I’m a lesbian,” Windham-Burke said.
“And it has taken me 42 years to say that, but I’m so proud of where I am right now and I’m so happy where I am. To be able to be comfortable in my own skin after so long is just so nice.”
Braunwyn Windham-Burke has ‘always known’ she was a lesbian
She continued: “I’m still getting used to it… I knew I was attracted to women. I always have been… I got married very young and I never thought about it.
“So to be 42… I’m just now starting to feel like I’m becoming the woman I was supposed to be. So for me to be living completely authentically and say, ‘I’m a lesbian. That was who I have always been.’ This isn’t something that is new, cause that I think is what a lot of people will think.
You know, Sean and I are still married. I plan on staying married… We’re raising the kids together. He’s my best friend.
“‘Oh suddenly you’re one.’ No, I’ve always known it. But it took me personally 42 years to be comfortable enough in my own skin to say that.”
Speaking about her marriage, Windham-Burke said: “Honestly, we are in uncharted territory. I don’t have a role model for this. I don’t have anyone to go to for answers.
“So right now, we’re just doing our own way. You know, Sean and I are still married. I plan on staying married… We’re raising the kids together. He’s my best friend.
“He knows the girl I’m dating; her name is Kris. I mean, we go to parties together. She came over the other night, hung out with the family, had dinner with us.
“I mean, it’s only as weird as you make it.”
Windham-Burke also opened up about the moment she kissed her co-star Tamra Judge on the show in 2019.
“I had a scene with Tamra that everyone kind of talked about,” Windham-Burke said.
“When we were getting ready for the reunion I was talking to a producer that I trust a lot, his name was James, and he said, ‘How do you feel about this? Was it a drunken mistake or is this a part of who you are?’ And I said, ‘This is who I am.’”
She added: “When I went to the reunion last year I kind of started baby-stepping into, ‘This is who I am. I like women.’ I was testing the waters with my friends, my cast, my family.”