On Saturday, The Real Housewives of Orange County star Braunwyn Windham-Burke celebrated a full year of being sober after confessing she’s an alcoholic.
She celebrated the occasion on the beach with her husband, Sean Burke. She wore a beige, corseted dress and posed with balloons and a customized cake.
Sean also dressed up in a white button-down shirt, black pants and a light grey jacket.
She thanked her husband in the caption for helping her stay sober during challenging times.
“No one ever said it would be easy, but thank you @seanwindhamburke for making it easier. Officially #1YearSober,” Braunwyn declared in the caption. “As always, one day at a time #onedayatatime #oneyearsober”
Some Real Housewives stars like Margaret Josephs, D’Andra Simmons, and Kary Brittingham congratulated Braunwyn in the comments section.
Sean uploaded a similar post to his Instagram congratulating his wife.
“It’s been a year, and you made it…. sober. So happy we are where we are today!” Sean exclaimed in the caption.
Even though their marriage has taken a toll this year, they came together to celebrate this important moment in Braunwyn’s life.
Braunwyn’s alcoholism
Braunwyn’s alcohol addiction became a significant part of her RHOC Season 15 storyline.
On the premiere episode of the season, Braunwyn confessed to Emily Simpson that she’s an alcoholic and has started her sobriety journey.
Braunwyn confessed that her miscarriage in Washington DC caused her to drink all day and she hadn’t been able to get it back under control.
She confessed that there were some moments where she almost gave up on her sobriety but she managed to stay strong throughout the course of filming.
Initially, her sobriety connected her to her castmates. She even resolved her feud with Gina Kirschenheiter after they attended an AA meeting together.
However, as the season went on, her decision not to partake in libations with her costars drew them apart.
Some of her castmates believe that Braunwyn faked her alcoholism in order to create a storyline. Braunwyn vehemently denied those claims and had it out with Kelly Dodd over it during the reunion.
Braunwyn’s marriage
Braunwyn explained that becoming sober allowed her to have a clearer head and come to terms with her addiction.
Braunwyn came out as a lesbian while RHOC Season 15 was airing.
Despite admitting she was never attracted to men, she and Sean have decided to stay married. They both agreed to an open marriage.
Braunwyn has already found a girlfriend named Kris. Sean has reportedly seen other women but hasn’t had a serious girlfriend yet.
While her RHOC cast members can’t imagine that her husband is happy with the arrangement, they both maintain that they are going to try their best to make their modern marriage work.
The Real Housewives of Orange County is currently on hiatus on Bravo.