'RHOBH' Star Dorit Kemsley Says Her Breakup With PK Kemsley Was Due To "It Wasn't Just Alcohol" But There Were More Serious Reasons

Dorit Kemsley made headlines when she announced her separation from PK Kemsley back in May. In The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 14 premiere, Dorit candidly opens up about her marriage troubles and how PK’s struggles with alcohol led to their split. However, as Dorit told DECIDER in a recent Zoom interview, her estranged husband’s drinking wasn’t the only reason they decided to take a step back from their marriage.

The couple’s relationship had clearly been strained in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 13, with Dorit complaining that PK wasn’t there for her as she dealt with PTSD in the aftermath of her 2021 home invasion. While PK sobered up last year and Dorit claimed at the Season 13 reunion that they were better than ever, it still wasn’t enough to save their marriage.

“After that, a lot of the issues that we had been dealing with in the last few years, they reared their ugly head,” she told DECIDER. “So it clearly was a lot more than just alcohol.”

Dorit also teased that fans will see their journey on this season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and that while she “would love for things to be amicable all the time, it just didn’t happen.” As far as her future with the businessman goes, Dorit said that “remains to be seen.”

“I think that there is work to be done even in all aspects, just to be able to have a friendship that is very strong and not have the continued ups and downs,” she explained. “And I think that if we can work on that and communication and deal with some of the things that — whether it’s resentments or whether [it’s] the things that have built over the years, then I think any road we choose will be the best versions of ourselves and the best parents.”

The reality star recently opened up to DECIDER about her friendship with Erika Jayne, how she felt about entering this new season of the Bravo show, and her thoughts on Sutton Stracke naming her as the Housewife who causes the most drama this year. Check out the full interview below.

DECIDER: There’s a lot going on this season, and I’m so happy you’re back. How did you feel going into Season 14? And how are you feeling about reliving this part of your life along with the rest of the world?

DORIT KEMSLEY: It’s interesting because I think at any given year, no matter what you’re going through, knowing that you have to relive what you’ve already lived, especially if it’s not always sunshine and rainbows, you have a little apprehension. But it’s not my first rodeo. And I knew going in, okay, well, I’m living this now and then I’ll have to relive it months down the line. So you know what you’re in for. 

Yes, there’s a lot going on this season. I started the season – PK and I separated. There’s a lot of unfinished business. And I felt like I was coming into my power. I had had a really difficult last few years post-home invasion and struggled with a lot of emotional, mental, physical feelings. But I was able to actually do something about it and realized that the PTSD had kickstarted perimenopause and [I] got involved with a company out of the UK that is called the Better Menopause. And their supplements, the Better Gut and the Better Night, really sort of changed my life.

I learned that gut health and hormones, balancing your gut health is also balancing your hormones. And when you start to feel better about yourself and you start to feel stronger and you start to feel clearer and there’s no brain fog and you feel like you’re coming into your power. And luckily, I felt the strongest in a time where the most stuff was happening for me personally, which is good.

One of the things that shocked me in the premiere was that Erika was the first one in the group you told about your separation. Why did you decide to confide in her before anyone else – especially after that BravoCon remark?

I know! That’s the irony for sure. But you know what? Erika and I have had a nice friendship over the years, and really, I went into the season feeling like she was one of the only women that I felt a closeness to because I was having some issues with Kyle and there was a lot of unfinished business. And I definitely hadn’t felt the closeness with Kyle that I had that I’d always felt with her for a long time. So naturally it made sense to speak to Erika and to share it with her. And, you know, the rest of the ladies, they learned when the world learned.

You were also extremely candid about how PK’s drinking led to your separation and I give you total props for knowing how to set healthy boundaries for you and your kids. Did you and PK ever discuss how you planned to talk about everything? And was it difficult to talk about his struggles with alcohol in front of the cameras? 

PK had always been a drinker. And I felt over the years that, the drinking was contributing to a lot of our issues. But it’s very difficult for you to try to get the person who’s drinking to see it. So, kudos to him. I had asked him, when we were working through some of our issues, I said, “Listen, you need to be clear and I need you to just stop drinking for a week.” And he did. But he felt so good that he decided to look into it because I think something clicked and he realized, “Wait a minute, maybe I do have an issue.” And it is a journey that he took on his own and discovered that he didn’t have a great relationship with alcohol and that he was an alcoholic and he really wanted to take the journey. And he’s now almost a year sober, which is incredible. 

But that was something that – in the past few years, it wasn’t identified. And even if I were to say, “I think he drinks too much or I think it’s a problem,” that’s a very personal thing and it’s something that could also be, “Well, that’s my opinion.” But then you’re suggesting that someone has a problem, do they have a problem? This was something that PK came to the realization and and he was very public about it. So it was easier, obviously, to talk about it on the show because he was very vocal and open publicly about it. 

You also said in the episode that either you figure it out or you’re best friends for life. Where do you stand today? Would you say his sobriety has helped your relationship?

Well, I would definitely say that his sobriety helped our relationship. As I said in the reunion, when he was four months sober, it was the best we had been in a very long time. And then after that, a lot of the issues that we had been dealing with in the last few years, they reared their ugly head. So it clearly was a lot more than just alcohol. I think PK being sober is much more helpful, for sure. And I pray for him and I hope that he stays on the journey of sobriety because I think that he is better health-wise, as a father, as a man, as a businessman. I just think for him, he’ll be better overall. And I think he believes that as well. 

But as far as him and I go, I think that as you’ll see this season, as much as I would love for things to be amicable all the time, it just didn’t happen. There are definitely some peaks and some valleys, and you see it in the season and when you’re not the one that’s making those decisions, it’s always a lot more difficult. So, there are some struggles. But then you really do see a lot of the journey, which I think is interesting. 

As you know, my son was not well and he was in the hospital for a while. And PK and I both, we we love our children more than anything. And we came together and everything at that point really doesn’t matter, to be honest. Nothing matters but the health and well-being of your kids. And it definitely brought us into a family environment in putting the kids first. I think where we go from here, it remains to be seen. I think that there is work to be done even in all aspects, just to be able to have a friendship that is very strong and not have the continued ups and downs. And I think that if we can work on that and communication and deal with some of the things that – whether it’s resentments or whether the things that have built over the years, then I think any road we choose will be the best versions of ourselves and the best parents.

Sutton recently named you as the Housewife who causes the most drama this season. Do you agree with her assessment? Or would you name someone else?

I don’t think you could find a better “pot calling the kettle black” example. Truly. It’s very interesting – as are a lot of things that come out of Sutton’s mouth. I don’t think she knows what comes out of her mouth half the time, if I’m honest. And I think you’ll see that throughout the season. You’ll have to watch, obviously. But no, I think that that is, like I said, the pot calling the kettle black. I think Sutton likes the attention. She likes to do whatever she needs to do to cause friction and issues. And I think that if that makes for a better season then no problem – as long as you can also deal with the consequences. Because you can’t do that and then run or bail or hide or try to pin it on someone else. So, I think that’s fun and well and more power to the person that wants to do it for – can I say shits and giggles?

Housewife 101!Housewife 101! You always need one of those. Well, Sutton – she enjoys it. There are actually people that enjoy it. She is one of them. And more power to her. But I would like to see her taking a little bit more accountability for some of the things that she says and does, because I think that’s where it gets tricky.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. New episodes begin streaming the next day on Peacock.