Jeff Lewis and Gage Edward Have Separated: A Look Back at Their Volatile 10-Year Romance

Jeff Lewis, 48, and Gage Edward, 33, have had their fair share of ups and downs throughout their decade-long relationship — many of which have played out on television.

During Thursday’s episode of his Sirius XM radio show Jeff Lewis Live!, Lewis revealed that the pair, who share 2-year-old daughter Monroe, are taking a break and living separately.

According to Lewis, the two had been living in separate rooms in the same house for the better part of a year up until Wednesday, when Edward moved out of their home and into a hotel.

“This has been a long time coming. We were in separate rooms a significant portion of last year, so it was kind of like a roommate situation,” Lewis, 48, said, explaining that the two had be trying to work through their problems.

“I think the reason we hadn’t ripped the Band-Aid off and separated is because a) we had the baby and neither one of us want to leave the baby and then b) financially, it wasn’t the best time because I have four properties right now — three of which are in construction and one of which is sellable.”

The pair met and began dating a decade ago, when Lewis was in his 30s and Gage was in his 20s.

After a few years together, Gage began appearing on Flipping Out in 2011, where he served as Lewis’s business manager as well as his romantic partner.

After first telling PEOPLE they wanted to start a family together in 2013, Lewis and Edward welcomed daughter Monroe Christine Lewis via surrogate in October 2016.

Lewis went on to praise his partner’s parenting skills, telling the Huffington Post that year, “Gage is one of the most amazing hands-on dads I’ve ever witnessed.

“He’s so nurturing and the primary caregiver. I take his lead and he tells me ‘get this,’ ‘get that,’ ‘do this.’ He’s so confident and comfortable that I just let him make most decisions. For major decisions, we consult each other, but really he’s a natural,” he added.

Despite their enduring romance, Lewis and Edward never made it to the altar — although Lewis hinted that a marriage could be forthcoming on multiple occasions.

He once told Andy Cohen that he was “considering” taking their relationship to the next level.

“I mean, I’m not gonna propose to him on-air, but I think I...I’m considering it,” he shared, during an episode of Watch What Happens Live. “I think he’s probably shocked right now.”

Lewis remarked during an Access Hollywood Live interview in 2016: “I just found out, my attorney said that [Gage] is now eligible for palimony because it’s been seven-and-a-half years. I’m on the hook anyway, I might as well get married.”

Although the pair never got around to tying the knot, during an episode of Flipping Out from 2017, Lewis admitted that he had already “planned my divorce.”

“I think I’ll be coming back with Monroe as a single dad,” he told Jenni, as the pair were set to move homes following the birth of their child.

“I don’t know anybody that gets along 100 percent of the time. But I’ve planned my divorce like hundreds of times in my head. I mean, I go real specific, like I’m gonna live here and he’s gonna live here, I’m gonna see the baby here and he’s gonna see the baby here,” Lewis confessed. “I mean I work it all out in my head.”

The reality star went on to explain that he imagined Edward also thought about splitting from him “often.”

In June, Lewis and Edward’s surrogate, who carried their daughter, filed a lawsuit against them, suing the pair as well as Bravo and the show’s production company, Authentic Entertainment.

She claims that the show filmed her vagina without permission during her delivery and that Edward and Lewis made “disgusting” remarks about her — claims which Lewis has strongly refuted.

Lewis explained that the one benefit of the lawsuit was that it had made him and Edward closer than ever.

“Gage and I, we bicker and we argue about stupid things … But when something like this happens, we are bonded,” Lewis said on his radio show following the news. “We are tight, we are united. I feel like our relationship this week has been amazing. I never felt more like a team. We’re a solid couple.”

“I really thought we would turn on each other with this level of stress,” Lewis added.

Edward agreed. “I do appreciate that and I have felt that,” he told Lewis. “It’s nice to hear. I’ve always felt that the two of us are a nice united team and it’s not a team anybody would want to cross.”

It’s not clear how the couple will handle custody of Monroe following their separation. Asked about it by a caller on Thursday’s episode of Jeff Lewis Live, the reality star replied, “I don’t even want to go there,” though he did admit earlier in the program, “I’m now a single dad ’cause the baby is with me.”

Lewis recalled asking Edward to leave. ”I said to him, ‘I want to be very clear, I’m not throwing you out. I’m not breaking up with you. I’m here. You need time and space to get perspective.’ “

Despite their relationship woes, a source tells PEOPLE, “Monroe’s happiness is Jeff and Gage’s top priority. She’s their world.”

The source went on to explain that the two have worked to keep their tension from affecting Monroe.

“They’ve always kept any of the trouble that was going on between them away from her, making it a point not to argue in front of her or around her,” the source said. “She’s totally unaware of any tension. They’re great parents.”