A woman who quit her job, left her husband, and 'started over' at age 37 has revealed how she turned her failed marriage into an 'opportunity...' ultimately becoming a reality star, successful author, and divorce coach - and finding love again with a millionaire.
Keni Silva, 41, originally from Russia, met her now-ex-husband, who was 30 years her senior, when she was only 23 years old and working as a model.
Within a year, they were married, and within two, they had their first child together.
The couple went on to welcome one more baby together, and settled down in Newport Beach, California, where she worked in real estate.
On the outside, it seemed like everything was 'perfect;' the pair had two 'beautiful children,' lived in a stunning house with views of the water, and enjoyed quite the lavish lifestyle, often traveling the globe together.
But Keni felt like something was missing and after 13 years of marriage, she decided to walk away from her marriage and 'start over' after realizing that she had 'lost herself.'
'I had everything I wanted, but I wasn't happy,' she told DailyMail.com during a recent interview. 'I had this perfect life that people dream about.
'I have beautiful children, I was traveling the world, I would wake up looking at the ocean but I was not happy. That's where my journey of self-discovery started.
A woman who quit her job, left her husband, and 'started over' at age 37 has revealed how she turned her failed marriage into an 'opportunity'
Keni Silva, 41, originally from Russia, split from her husband after 13 years together, went on to become a reality star and author, and found love again with Mohamed Hadid (seen together)
Keni told DailyMail.com that she met her now-ex-husband, who was 30 years her senior, when she was only 23 years old and working as a model
'I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I just knew that I wanted something different.
'I had to work hard to find out what really makes me happy. I knew what my kids loved, what my ex-husband loved, but I didn't know what I loved.'
Now, Keni is a former Real Housewives of Orange County star, a certified divorce coach, and an author.
She recently released a book, entitled Divorce As an Opportunity, about how she ultimately found herself after leaving her husband in the hopes that others who may feel stuck like she did can follow in her footsteps.
She has also found love again with Yolanda Hadid's ex-husband Mohamed Hadid, whose net worth is estimated to be around $200 million.
Keni - who starred in five episodes of RHOC in 2022 - is fiercely dedicated to proving that the end of your marriage doesn't have to be a bad thing, but rather, it's an opportunity to 'make you stronger and more resilient.'
'Everything passes and everything in life is an experience,' she explained. 'It's just something you have to go through to become stronger, to become wiser.
'It might be hard in the moment, but it's not the end. I got divorced because I wanted to find myself. I wanted to find happiness without depending on being with anyone.
Within a year, they were married, and they quickly welcomed two child together. Keni is seen with their kids when they were little
While her life seemed 'perfect,' Keni felt like she was 'losing herself' and after 13 years of marriage, she decided to walk away from her marriage and 'start over'
Now, Keni is a Real Housewives of Orange County star , a certified divorce coach, and an author
'You're going to be OK by yourself. Don't be afraid to be by yourself.'
As for her advice for those who may be going through a hard breakup, the certified divorce coach said it's important to focus on 'communication' and to be prepared to make 'sacrifices.'
She recently released a book, entitled Divorce As an Opportunity , about how she ultimately found herself after leaving her husband in the hopes that others who may feel stuck like she did can follow in her footsteps
She also advised against 'taking things personally,' since divorce usually 'brings out the worst in a person.'
'I had to sacrifice some things. You will never get everything you want in the divorce. That's life,' she explained.
'And communication is the key. Divorce brings out the worst in a person, and it's like a war.
'You can't take things personally because you're in the moment and people say things, people do things they don't mean.'
She said the 'biggest mistake' that exes can make after deciding to go their separate ways is dragging things out.
'I have girlfriends who went through divorce for six to eight years. And to me, you can never buy more time. Time is the most precious thing in this world,' she said.
'I wanted to be free as fast as I could so I could start my life. Being in that constant fight, dealing with lawyers for years, it's honestly a drain, it affects you.
Keni - who starred in five episodes of RHOC in 2022 - is fiercely dedicated to proving that the end of your marriage doesn't have to be a bad thing, but rather, it's an opportunity
'Everything passes and everything in life is an experience,' she told DailyMail.com. 'It's just something you have to go through to become stronger, to become wiser'
Keni also gushed about her new romance with Mohamed, 71, exclusively with DailyMail.com, explaining that he 'supports' her career and 'respects' her time with her 'children'
'You can't move forward when you still get those emails from your attorney. I think that's the biggest mistake anybody can make.
'I always say, finish it as fast as possible so you can start your new life.'
In the end, she encouraged women to take the plunge and leave if they feel stuck in a relationship, even if it may feel 'scary.'
Keni also gushed about her new romance with Mohamed, 71, exclusively with DailyMail.com, explaining that he 'supports' her career and 'respects' her time with her 'children.'
'The most important thing is for my partner to support me and not cut my wings. If I want to fly, help me fly. Don't cage me in,' she dished.
'There are a lot of men out there that love their wife but don't want them to have freedom, or for them to have a career or a life bigger than theirs.
'I want the person I'm with to support me, and they have to respect my children and my time with children.
'I spend a lot of one-on-one time with my children because I only see them 50 percent of the time. I don't want to share that timing with somebody else.'
She also addressed backlash over their 35-year age gap, and branded people who hate on their relationship as 'sad.'
Keni (seen with her daughter) said, 'I want the person I'm with to support me, and they have to respect my children and my time with children'
She also addressed backlash over their 35-year age gap, and branded people who hate on their relationship as 'sad'
'If you see two beautiful souls in love and they communicate, there's no age,' she said.
'Look at Cher, she's 77 and she has a younger boyfriend like hooray for her. Dynamics are changing.
'To me personally, love has no age. Age is just a number. Like I'm 41, but I still feel like I'm just out of college. I feel young inside. It's just a number. Who cares.'
Keni explained that she has always been into 'older' men because she is 'very mature.'
'My ex-husband was also 30 years older than me. Ever since I was young, all of my boyfriends were much older because I'm very mature,' she shared.
'I'm not [into] guys my age. I lived in Moscow, lived in Milan. I lived around the world. I'm a world traveler.
'And I have business degree. I have fashion degree. I have a brokers license. I'm divorce certified coach. I invest in real estate and in stocks and bonds.
'To me, I fall in love with smart men. If I meet a man and I can learn something from him, that is my love language.
'I would be like fascinated [in my relationship]. So that's why I have always loved older men because there's something I can talk about [with them].'
She stated that people that talk about her must 'have nothing else going on in their lives.'
'If they don't hate on you because of your age gap, they're going to find something else [to hate on],' she continued.
'But to me, it's a compliment. They obviously have nothing else going on in their life if they have time to hate you.
'It's kind of sad. If they talk about you they have nothing else going on in their life. But it's their problem not yours so let them not [talk] about it and just enjoy [your life].'
