Ashlee Holmes Malleo Speaks Out on Her Divorce: "We Will ALWAYS Be a Family"

After confirming her divorce from Pete Malleo earlier this week, Ashlee Holmes Malleo is speaking out on the split and what the future holds for her family.

Ashlee, who is the daughter of The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Jacqueline Laurita, posted a lengthy note to Instagram on November 11 in which she addressed her recent relationship drama that's been covered in the press.

"I don't like giving statements through third parties. Things get twisted, words get chopped, a mess gets messier. I prefer speaking directly on my own social media, as this is where all of this chaos began anyway. There is so much I have to say. First and foremost being that Pete did NOT cheat. There is a lot of misinformation out there right now. I don't even know where to begin. In the future do not trust anything unless it has come directly from me," Ashlee's note began. "Regardless of the emotional rollercoaster that is a divorce journey, Pete and I will ALWAYS be partners in life. We share a gorgeous son together. I will always support Pete and cheer him on. His success is our son's success. We will ALWAYS be a family. We will ALWAYS be there for each other. Nothing and no one could ever break that. Period."

Ashlee and Pete are parents to 5-year-old son Cameron Hendrix Malleo, whom they welcomed in August 2016. The Instagram post features a video of Pete and Cameron dancing, while Ashlee can be seen smiling and laughing in the background.

In Ashlee's message in the post, she reiterated that, despite speculation, there was no infidelity in her marriage. "This whole thing has been embarrassing for everyone involved, and it could have been and should have been avoided. I was hurt and my anger came from the fact that although separated, it has only been 3 months since we have broken up. We've still been hanging out and planning Holidays together etc," she explained. "We were together for YEARS, and I just didn't understand how he could start dating someone so quickly. We had also previously said to each other that we would communicate with the other first before reaching out to anyone. That didn't happen in this case. I was caught off guard."

However, after getting to know the woman Pete has been talking to, Ashlee said that she has found her to be "actually very kind." "We spoke for hours today. And I really appreciate and respect her for having the balls to communicate with me the way that she did once I reached out to her again to clear the air," Ashlee wrote. "I'm sorry that I allowed my emotions to get the best of me. I'm only human, and I'm definitely not a perfect one. (Does a perfect human even exist?) At least I can own my mistakes and grow from them. TRUST ME when I say that this is yet another lesson learned."

Ashlee also shared how Cameron has been doing in all of this and how she and Pete plan to discuss the situation with their son in the future. "If any of this stuff is ever brought up to Cameron or by Cameron in the distant future (because our son is currently only 5) I'll have a very honest conversation with him. I'll tell him to go by how you see Mom and Dad treating each other now. Go by your actual reality. Everything else is just noise. You know? Something like that," she said. "There are plenty of other things that have been out there before that haven't been true. I'll treat this the same."

As far as things between her and Pete go, Ashlee said that they are trying to navigate their divorce in a peaceful manner. "Pete and I have been talking about all of this over the last few days. We don't want a bad relationship with each other or the people either of us decide to date going forward. Divorce may cause a lot of different emotions to surface, and navigating all of this may be a bumpy road at times, but Pete and I will always find our way back to each other in some capacity," Ashlee shared. "At the end of the day, there is love between us despite words said in anger. We share a gorgeous child together. That's a lifelong thing. So I don't care what people have to say about it, or their opinions. But if you're going to have an opinion, you should [know] the truth. I don't wish to comment on this any further."

Ashlee ended her message by apologizing to everyone involved in this situation. "I'm hoping one day Pete, myself, Cameron and his future step parents can all laugh about this story………. probably not though ha," she wrote. "But seriously, I know that this too shall pass. Until then, Pete and I are going to continue focusing on our son's happiness."

Many have shown their support for Ashlee in the comments section of her Instagram post, including RHONJ's Margaret Josephs.

Ashlee first announced that she and Pete had decided to separate in July 2020 after nearly two years of marriage. But around February of this year, it appeared that the couple had reconciled.

Earlier this week, Ashlee and Pete both confirmed that they would be moving forward with a divorce in separate statements to the press. While addressing the couple's current status to Page Six, Pete confirmed that he was single and that he and Ashlee "are going through a divorce." Ashlee separately told the publication that she and Pete "have been separated since August," and they "filed in October."

Pete also addressed his and Ashlee's relationship in another statement to Us Weekly. "Ashlee and I have been separated and living apart since August and we are currently going through a divorce," he said. "At this point, I am focused only on our son and continuing to show him unconditional love. As such, I will not be making any further comment to any news outlets. I am hopeful that Ashlee and I can resolve our divorce in a private manner outside of the public eye for the sake of our son."