Entertainment TV 'Real Housewives of Orange County' 's Vicki Gunvalson and Brooks Ayers Split Vicki Gunvalson and Brooks Ayers announced the news on Facebook By Maria Mercedes Lara Maria Mercedes Lara Instagram Twitter Maria Mercedes Lara is the Digital Content Operations Director for PEOPLE, where she oversees content management and editorial workflow for the digital team as well as focus on increasing growth through PEOPLE's newsletters, homepage and notification audiences. She previously held the position of Deputy News Director for PEOPLE.com. Before joining PEOPLE, Maria worked at POPSUGAR, SpinMedia Group and Jezebel. She graduated with a B.A. in Literature from Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at the New School in New York City. Maria currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and two children. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 16, 2015 07:35 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic Real Housewives of Orange County star Vicki Gunvalson has broken up with Brooks Ayers. The Bravo star, 53, announced the split from her boyfriend of four years in a joint statement on her Facebook page. “After much prayer, thought, counseling, and consideration, we have decided to end our four year relationship,” the couple wrote. “We both wish nothing but a great future for each other. “We have come to realize that one can indeed love someone in their heart, but that the time may come for their lives to take separate paths,” the statement continued. “Though the remaining episodes of Season 10 of The Real Housewives of Orange County will show us as a couple, the filming took place in January 2015 through May 2015. There will be no further statements or interviews regarding our relationship as we choose to move on with our lives. “Though we choose to live our lives in the public eye we thank you for your understanding and ask privacy during this difficult time.” Gunvalson and Ayers’s romance hasn’t always been smooth. Back in 2013, the pair announced that they had split up but reunited in 2014 after they learned that Ayers had cancer. Gunvalson’s daughter, Briana Culberson, has also been vocal about her disliking of Ayers. It’s been a rough year for Gunvalson, who learned about the death of her mother while filming the 10th season of RHOC. In the episode, which aired in July, Gunvalson collapses on the floor after Culberson tells her the news. The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Mondays (9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.