RHOA's Kenya Moore Says Co-Sleeping with Infant Daughter Led to Intimacy Problems with Husband
Kenya Moore is further opening up about the intimacy issues she and her now-estranged husband Marc Daly were going through before their split.
On Sunday’s Real Housewives of Atlanta, the former Miss USA, 48, confided in friend Porsha Williams about her marital problems, admitting that co-sleeping with their infant daughter Brooklyn Doris, now 1, had put a strain on their sex life.
“The baby has changed so much in our lives,” Moore said. “She’s in the bed all the time. He does not want me to put her in a crib.”
“It’s been difficult,” she continued. “We [sleep together] when we can, but it definitely is not as often as I would like.”
Asked how long it has been, Moore told Williams, “Girl, I’m not going to even say that number.”
“It’s hard being in relationships, especially when you have a little one involved,” Moore said. “Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, sometimes you feel like you want to give up.”
Williams — a fellow new mom who was going through some relationship troubles herself — stressed to Moore that she and Daly had “got to connect sexually.”
“I agree, we got to do better than that,” Moore said. “I just don’t like where we are right now.”
RELATED: RHOA‘s Kenya Moore Cries Over Marital Struggles as She Admits to Intimacy Issues Before Split
Moore had first revealed that she and Daly were having intimacy issues on last week’s RHOA. Trouble for the couple started even before Brooklyn was born, she said.
“Maybe when I was about 6 months, 7 months, he just started getting really freaked out about my belly growing,” Moore explained to fellow Atlanta Housewife Kandi Burruss. “He thought it was kind of awkward.”
Things didn’t change after Brooklyn’s arrival, Moore said, telling Burruss that her sex life was “not picking back up.”
Not helping matters? The fact that the couple live in two different cities, Moore filming RHOA in Atlanta and Daly working out of New York City, where he owns several restaurants.
When they were actually in the same space, they struggled to find alone time.
Even on their two-year wedding anniversary, in which they were supposed to go to Turks and Caicos together, Daly wouldn’t let Moore bring a nanny along — meaning there would be no room for any date nights. The topic got so heated between them, Daly ended up skipping the vacation all together, leaving Moore celebrating her marriage milestone alone with her daughter.
“That was heartbreaking to me,” Moore recalled. “He is in love with Brooklyn, there’s no doubt about that. As much as I want that, being a mom and seeing my husband bond with the baby, I’m left on the side line a lot of the time. When are we going to be intimate? When are we going to have time for ourselves? … It’s frustrating.”
RELATED: Kenya Moore Denies She’s After NeNe Leakes’ RHOA Paycheck, Says Kandi Burruss Is Show’s Top Earner
Later in last week’s episode, Moore said communication with Daly, 49, was actually their biggest problem, as their discussions often escalated into arguments.
“He’ll admit to that. He’ll admit, ‘I am a fighter. I like to fight.’ But there are issues, underlying issues in our marriage that we are not dealing with,” she said. “It’s like, you’re fighting about the glass on the table but that’s not what you’re fighting about. You’re fighting about the glass on the table, and you’re just not talking about it. And I feel like a lot of that is going on.”
“I just feel a lot of times stuck, ’cause I don’t want a conversation to elevate to a full-blown argument because he doesn’t compromise,” Moore added. “I’m not a fighter [in relationships], I want peace. I like to resolve issues. I don’t want to be fighting with my husband like this. I want to be like we were.”
Moore went on to tell Burruss that Daly’s ego was “fragile.”
“When he’s upset, it’s like he’s no holds barred,” she said. “He can be funny and smart and helpful and supportive but then when he gets mad, it’s like an alter-ego comes in from the depths of hell.”
RELATED: RHOA‘s Kenya Moore Doesn’t Think She Rushed into Marriage — But Admits She Didn’t Sign a Prenup
Moore and Daly announced their separation on Sept. 19 in exclusive statements to PEOPLE.
“It is with profound sadness that I regret to inform my fans that I am divorcing my husband Marc Daly,” Moore said. “Due to recent and ongoing circumstances, I can no longer continue in the marriage. My sole concern and focus is and will always be my daughter, Brooklyn, my miracle baby. She was made in love and true commitment. I ask for our privacy to be respected moving forward.”
Said Daly: “I have come to the difficult decision to separate from Kenya at this time. Our daughter has two parents that love her very much and in her best interests, this situation should remain as private as possible. I cherish our family’s good times together and will continue to co-parent in a loving way. Rumors, innuendo or false accusations only serve to hurt our family and will be addressed through counsel as the law permits. Please respect our privacy during this challenging period.”
Since then, the couple has been amicably co-parenting Brooklyn, and were even together in November to celebrate their daughter’s 1st birthday.
Days before that, Moore told PEOPLE that she’s hopeful she and Daly can find a way back together, but only if they can work through their communication issues.
“I didn’t get married to quit,” she said. “I love my husband. I don’t doubt that he loves me. Let me be clear, I took my vows seriously. I believe in for better and for worse and I believe in trying it all before you walk away, especially when we do have a child and we are a family.”
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays (8 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
