Kenya Moore Opens Up About Her Split From Husband Marc Daly And Shuts Down Infidelity Rumors; Says “I Can Tell You That’s Completely Made Up”

Kenya Moore is setting the record straight about her split from husband Marc Daly. The Real Housewives of Atlanta star is opening up for the first time about the breakup and reveals that the two haven’t filed for divorce yet.

The former Miss USA admits she’s hopeful they can find a way back together, but only if she and Marc can work through their issues.

“I didn’t get married to quit,” Moore told PEOPLE. “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.”

“I am hopeful, and have always wanted to work on our relationship. But I just don’t know if that’s even a possibility at this point, honestly,” Moore admits. “Marc doesn’t seem to be there. I’d feel more comfortable calling it quits if I knew I’d tried everything and it still didn’t work. And we definitely didn’t do everything we could have done to save our relationship.”

Moore understands why fans questioned their split. “I think a lot of people were rooting for me, rooting for us, and rooting for our beautiful family,” she says. “So for something to come out of the blue, I know it really hurt and confused a lot of people who were on our side.”

Rumors about the breakup went viral on gossip blogs reporting about blowout fights and accusations that Daly was unfaithful and living with a secret family, something Moore is denying.

“I can tell you I’ve heard a lot of rumors about secret families. I can tell you that’s completely made up; there’s zero truth to that,” she told PEOPLE. “In terms of infidelity, I’ve had no proof of that. That’s not our issue.”

So what was the reason for their breakup? According to Moore, it stems from the fact that Moore and Daly were living and commuting between Atlanta and N.Y.C., where he owns several restaurants.

“The distance had really been taking a toll on us,” says Moore. “Initially when we had the baby, it was great. He was there for every single doctor’s appointment, every ultrasound, every scare, we were 90 percent together. He was a very supportive husband during that time.”

After Brooklyn’s birth, though, that became harder. “Marc opened up two new businesses and is opening up another,” Moore explains. “It was frustrating for me that he kept opening businesses in New York, but listen — I want him to be successful and that’s how he feeds his family. So I couldn’t be selfish. But if you’re living in two different places, you have to be together during the times you are in the same place; either you’re both in NY and you’re both in Atlanta. And when we’d be in the same place, we weren’t always in the same place. So with the businesses, the distance, and the baby, it just became hard for us to figure it all out.”

“A lot of couples do and they do it successfully,” Moore says. “New York and Atlanta, it gave us a full life. There’s no other city like New York in the world; I loved our life there. And Marc, he loves Atlanta. He has his own friends here, and it’s a family environment where there’s a home and a yard for kids to play, without the daily anxiety of living in a big city. It was the best of both worlds.”

Moore admits that she and Marc's biggest issue stems from communication. “We communicate in very different ways,” Moore reveals. “I’m seen as tough on the show because I take up for myself … [but] in my relationships at home, I am the opposite. I’m not a fighter. I don’t want to fight at home. I want to be able to talk; I want to be able to rationally discuss things. And I get to the point where, I’ll withdraw if it seems too combative or not healthy.”

“If the communication were better and more open and honest, I think we could solve our problems,” Moore continues.

Moore revealed that she's willing to go to counseling, but her estranged husband hasn't agreed, leaving her frustrated.

“Counseling could be a big proponent in flushing out issues a couple may have. Then after a considerable amount of time and effort, you can make the decision whether you can come to a common ground and you can still work on the relationship or not. And I never got that opportunity,” Moore says. “I’m not saying that opportunity may not exist in the future. But I just don’t have a complete sense of if that’s something that he’s still willing to do.”

Despite their issues, Kenya says things between them have been “pretty civil” during the time they’ve been apart and that he has even seen Brooklyn following the split.

“He had a great time with her,” Moore says. “And he FaceTimes her every day. He’s a great dad to her.”

Moore reveals that the most important thing for her and Marc is their daughter Brooklyn.

“I’ll always want Marc to be in Brooklyn’s life,” she told PEOPLE. “Brooklyn is a special girl. She’s vibrant and just makes people happy. Having her is a blessing.”

“Look, all this, it’s definitely tough because when I’m with her, I think about what I thought was my fairytale happy ending,” Moore reflects. “I thought Marc was my forever love — that I had met this handsome, smart, funny, successful man who was single and who fell for me as fast as I fell for him and who would be there by my side forever. I thought this was the one and that with Brooklyn, I finally got the family that I wanted. I just don’t know what to say about all that now.”

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