Katie Comments on Her Split from Tom: “I Feel Very Strongly That I’m Doing the Right Thing”

Days after confirming they are ending their marriage, both Katie Maloney-Schwartz and Tom Schwartz opened up more about their decision to split. Katie went into detail about ending her 12-year relationship and nearly six-year marriage to Tom in an emotional interview on her You’re Going to Love Me podcast.

In the podcast episode, which was released on Friday (March 18), Katie confirmed that she and Tom had been separated for about a month before they confirmed their split, although they are still living together. "It's been the best case scenario I could possibly imagine or hope for. We're still figuring out the next steps, I don't think we're going to live together forever," she said, via Us Weekly. "This past month has just been us having a lot of discussions and processing all the emotions along the way."

Katie reflected on what led to her decision to end their marriage. "There wasn't some crazy fight that resulted in this. It was my decision, which was probably the hardest and most painful decision I've ever had to make. But [it was] the best and only way I can describe it is just waking up and having this voice that just became louder and louder," she said. "[Also] just events in my life and in our relationship coming into focus and feeling the weight of them on me."

She also noted, "I wanted to push them out of my head because I love Tom. We have built a life together, he was my person and I wanted to be with him forever. But ultimately, I just wasn't happy. For a long time, I sat with it. I thought about it and I didn't talk to anyone about it for a long time. I wanted to know, if it was just something else that was making me feel this way [and] that it was coming from a different place."

Katie went on to describe how she was feeling prior to deciding to end their marriage. “I realized that I had to really start prioritizing myself and my happiness as well. It just needed to happen. That’s just what everything inside of me was saying, I thought it got to a point where I just felt like I was going to burst. For months, it was building up. I felt just disconnected. I felt like I was drifting further and further away," she said.

She also reflected on how she often didn't put herself first during the marriage. "I had really prioritized Tom, our relationship, and our future and wanted to plan for that so badly. But I didn't often prioritize myself or my happiness. That was really what was weighing on me. I love being with him. But ultimately, I was just not fulfilled and there's other things that maybe one day I can talk about," she said. "I just realized that the choice I had to make was to just open up and tell him how I was feeling."

However, the decision wasn't that simple for Katie to make. "I feel very strongly that I'm doing the right thing. But it doesn't make it easier. It's really hard not to think about all of the best times and your wedding and everything that's going on," she said. "But when everything else inside of you, the burning inside of you, is telling you that you deserve more, then you have to listen to that."

Currently, Katie noted that "the transition so far is going really well. We're just trying to navigate these steps together and really work on becoming friends in that sense."

Earlier this week, Tom commented on the breakup in an interview with a photographer, via E! News. "Of course I'm sad, but, you know, we still love each other very much," he said. He then shared a bit more about the split, saying that it is "complicated."

Tom also revealed how he's doing in the wake of the news: "I'm doing OK. I'm staying busy."

Katie and Tom first announced their split on March 15 via separate Instagram statements (below). They have since received support from the Bravo family, including Andy Cohen and members of the Vanderpump Rules cast, among others.

Tom Schwartz's statement, which was released on Instagram on March 15. Photo: Instagram/Tom Schwartz