Erika Girardi filed for divorce from her husband Tom Girardi on Tuesday, November 3, after 21 years of marriage, reports Us Weekly.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills confirmed the news in a statement. “After much consideration, I have decided to end my marriage to Tom Girardi,” she said. “This is not a step taken lightly or easily. I have great love and respect for Tom and for our years and the lives we built together. It is my absolute wish to proceed through this process with respect and with the privacy that both Tom and I deserved I request others give us that privacy as well.”
Erika and Tom, who is 32 years her senior, met in 1999 while she was working at Chasen’s restaurant in Los Angeles. The two got engaged six months later and got married the same year.
“After a year of working in the restaurant, one night I decided to slip Tom my telephone number,” the Pretty Mess singer recalled in her 2018 memoir, Pretty Mess.
Tom subsequently reached out to Erika through his secretary. “I told her, ’Tell Mr. Girardi if he wants to take me out on a date, he needs to call me himself and ask me and give me enough time to prepare,’” she wrote. “You know how men are, especially if they are successful. They expect you to drop everything right away. That’s not how I work, I don’t care who you are.”
Bravo fans will likely see Erika’s divorce play out on the upcoming eleventh of RHOBH, which is currently filming.
Photo Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock; Matt Baron/Shutterstock
