'Sister Wives' : Kody Says He's 'Not Interested' in Having an 'Intimate Marriage' with Christine

"I'm heartbroken. My heart's shattered, to be honest," Christine Brown says in PEOPLE's exclusive look at Sister Wives

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Published on January 20, 2022 11:16 AM

Christine and Kody Brown announced their separation offscreen in November 2021 — but Sister Wives fans will now get to see the breakdown of their relationship.

In PEOPLE's exclusive look at Sunday's episode, Christine, 49, opens up about a difficult conversation she had with Kody about the "intimate side" of their marriage. She reveals Kody, 52, told her that he's "not really interested in that anymore."

"He goes, 'I'm not interested in having an intimate marriage anymore. I don't like your behavior. We'll see if you can be a good sister wife,' and all this," says Christine. "I'm like, 'Okay, so you don't want us to have an intimate marriage?' And he goes, 'No.' I'm like, 'That's not enough for me. I can't not have an intimate marriage.'"

Christine says Kody told her that he personally knows other couples who are no longer intimate. She adds that while the pair talked "a little bit longer," she ultimately went to bed alone and he left that morning after making himself breakfast.

Upon questioning whether it's really "over" between them, Christine admits she doesn't "know what to do" going forward. She then realizes that despite the end of their intimate relationship, Kody can continue to have such bonds with wives Janelle, 52, and Robyn, 43, while she gets to "have nothing." (Kody is also married to Meri, 50, but they no longer have an intimate marriage.)

"I'm heartbroken," she says. "My heart's shattered, to be honest with you."

Christine has been aware of the issues in her marriage for a while. Recalling a previous conversation between the pair, Christine says Kody told her he wasn't "attracted" to her anymore — but she had hoped things would eventually change.

"It's over. The intimate part of our marriage is over," she says. "And to be honest, I'm not okay with that. I'm not okay with staying in a marriage where there's no intimacy. That's not a real marriage. I'm not interested in a half marriage or a partial marriage or whatever we have."

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When Christine announced her separation from Kody last year, she said she "made the difficult decision to leave" the marriage after the couple had "grown apart."

"We will continue to be a strong presence in each other's lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family," she wrote on Instagram. "At this time, we ask for your grace and kindness as we navigate through this stage within our family."

Kody Brown and Christine Brown. Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic

Addressing the breakup in his own post, Kody said that "Christine's decision to leave comes with a great deal of sadness."

"We enjoyed many years together and I have a large amount of respect and admiration for her," he added. "Although we are moving forward on different paths, we will always remain committed parents."

Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.