'Money Troubles' Were Factor in Mary Kay Letourneau's Separation From Husband: Source
Despite their notoriety, Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau have struggled financially through much of their marriage, a source tells PEOPLE — and those challenges have contributed to their decision to separate.
“There have been money troubles,” a source close to Letourneau tells PEOPLE. “That’s why they’ve had to talk about their relationship for paid interviews; they’ve needed the cash. Do you think they’ve enjoyed talking about her past as a sex offender, and him as a 12-year-old? And answering questions about how often they had sex? No. It’s embarrassing. But that’s how they’ve supplemented their income for years.”
Letourneau, 57, has worked as a legal assistant. Fualaau, 35, has worked for a home improvement store and tried his hand as a DJ in the Seattle area. They lived in a modest home with their two daughters, Audrey and Georgia.
“He isn’t pulling in the cash, and she didn’t make much money as a legal assistant,” the source continues. “So they have to sell their story to anyone who will pay them, even if they don’t want to. Their past has caught up with them.”
The relationship began when Fualaau was just 12 years old and Letourneau was his sixth-grade teacher. Ultimately, she was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for child rape in connection with their relationship. She twice became pregnant with Fualaau’s children before he was 15, despite court orders that would keep them apart.
By the time she was released from prison, Fualaau was an adult — and he petitioned the court to allow them to see each other. The restraining order was dropped, but Letourneau remains a registered sex offender in Washington state.
The couple married in 2005, despite the criminal history of their relationship.
But now, the relationship has run its course.
“She’s pushing 60, and he’s in his mid-30s,” says the Letourneau source. “He’s never had another girlfriend. He’s never really dated. And I think he’s just decided that he needs to see if there’s more out there for him.”
Fualaau filed for legal separation in 2017. Despite their reconciliation attempts, PEOPLE confirms a legal filing with the King County Superior Court stating the couple is moving forward with private arbitration to finalize their split.
“I’m not surprised that they got married,” Letourneau’s lawyer and friend David Gehrke told PEOPLE in 2017, after the couple first announced their plans to split before they later attempted to reconcile. “And I’m not surprised, in this day and age, that they are separating.”
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Even after the split, Letourneau and Fualaau still lived together. They were occasionally spotted out in the Seattle area. They both remain active in the lives of their two daughters.
But the source tells PEOPLE that they’re now working on new living arrangements. “It’s time for them to separate completely,” says the insider. “They’re figuring out what that looks like. It’s hard for them both to believe that it’s over.”
