RHOP star Mia Thornton announces separation from husband Gordon Thornton after 11 years of marriage in a new interview with PEOPLE.

“Like all marriages, ours has had its ups and downs,” the 38-year-old Bravo star said. “At this time, Gordon and I are separated, but my family is my number one priority, and I am committed to doing whatever it takes to make sure we are okay.”

“We ask that you respect our privacy and give us the time and space to figure things out,” she adds.

Mia and Gordon, 70, have been married since March 2012. They share two children: son Jeremiah Carter, 8, and daughter Juliana, 6. Both Mia and Gordon also each have one child from their previous relationships.

The Bravo couple’s marital woes are set to play out on season 8 of RHOP, which premieres Sunday, November 5 on Bravo.

In the RHOP season 8 trailer, Mia admitted that she once “obtained a divorce lawyer” during a difficult point in her marriage to Gordon.

She also tells co-star Ashley Darby that she “might” have married Gordon for money.

The Bravoverse was introduced to Mia and Gordon when they joined the RHOP franchise during season 6. Mia quickly revealed that she met Gordon in 2003 at a strip club, where the RHOP may or may not have been working as a dancer.

Over the last year, Mia and Gordon experienced professional and financial woes concerning their chain of chiropractic clinics called The Joint Chiropractic.

In October 2022, Mia claimed that Gordon’s brothers “revoked his access to the company bank account” while the RHOP couple were “out of the country.”

Then, in January, Mia revealed that she and Gordon had to move out of their Potomac rental home due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

“This was bittersweet as we anticipated living in the big house for at least 3 years while we decided to build/purchase, continue to rent who knows, but due to unforeseen circumstances, our big space got cut short,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “One thing about me, I never stay down for long. Minor setback!”

The RHOP couple moved into a penthouse rental in North Bethesda.

At the RHOP season 7 reunion in February, Mia told Andy Cohen that she and Gordon “are literally living off our savings.”