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Braunwyn Windham-Burke spent two seasons on The Real Housewives of Orange County. In that short span, she separated from her husband, came out as a lesbian, and got sober thanks in part to the show.

Pretty good for a mom with seven kids, especially as Windham-Burke tries to set an example for her older children who are entering adulthood. Since she left RHOC, the former Bravo star has been busy making a life for herself.

Braunwyn Windham-Burke was a real housewife for 20 years

TV Over Mind highlights Windham-Burke’s life before she appeared on Bravo’s RHOC. The reality star’s mother, Dr. Deborah Windham, was in a rock band and became a physician after her daughter was born. Perhaps the rockstar lifestyle rubbed off on the reality TV star.

Windham-Burke married Sean Burke, the CEO of ChannelStars, a strategic marketing agency based in Newport Beach, California. The couple, who wed in 2000, have seven children, ranging from toddler age to college. Windham-Burke didn’t work outside the home during her marriage. Being a mom kept her plenty busy.

During her time on RHOC, Windham-Burke decided to become her “authentic self,” according to Instinct Magazine.

Having kids helped Braunwyn Windham-Burke manage her sobriety for a time

The mother of seven took her first drink at age 14. Sometimes, she would drink until she blacked out. Us Weekly states she would stop drinking when she was pregnant or nursing.

Now, Windham-Burke has been sober for more than 500 days, but it hasn’t been easy. One time the now-44-year-old called Captain Sandy Yawn from Below Deck Med. Yawn’s advice may have saved her life by preventing relapse.

Now, Windham-Burke is helping her children grow into stable young adults. Her oldest, Rowan, is a member of the LGBTQ community. She also supported her son Jacob’s form of self-expression when he dressed up in drag.

RHOC helped the reality TV star come out as a lesbian, and she had a girlfriend when she was a part of the show. 

Braunwyn Windham-Burke leads two different lives now

Being free from the bonds of alcohol and filming, Windham-Burke has created a bi-coastal life for herself, splitting time between Orange County and New York City.

She appeared on the cover of Out Traveler‘s Fall 2022 edition. Windham-Burke told the publication:

“I’d love for my kids to see the woman that I am in New York. All my friends in New York are so much younger than me. I’m OK with that. I am embracing every beautiful part of this coming out experience later in life…. Maybe that is the good part about living bicoastal because I get to come here and I’m back to being a 44-year-old mother of seven. I go back to New York and I feel like I’m 22 again.”

Braunwyn Windham-Burke honored at Amare Magazine's 14th Issue Release
Former Real Housewives of Orange County star Braunwyn Windham-Burke | Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
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Windham-Burke may feel like she missed out on much of her life after she made her wedding vows and chose to have kids. The reality TV star is loving every minute of her new bi-coastal life. She gets a break from setting an example for her children while exploring a new side to her life that was tethered with obligations and untethered by the effects of alcoholism.

How will Windham-Burke’s new life pan out? Hopefully with success and happiness.

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