Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne is requesting spousal support from estranged husband Tom Girardi amid their divorce, In Touch can confirm.

Erika, 49, cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for her divorce from Tom, 81, in documents obtained by In Touch. According to the paperwork, which was filed on November 3, Erika asked for Tom to pay her spousal support in the midst of their split. She also asked the court to block the attorney from requesting spousal support from her.

The RHOBH cast member announced her split from Tom after more than 20 years of marriage. “After much consideration, I have decided to end my marriage to Tom Girardi,” she told Us Weekly in a statement on November 3. “This is not a step taken lightly or easily. I have great love and respect for Tom and for our years and the lives we built together. It is my absolute wish to proceed through this process with respect and with the privacy that both Tom and I deserved I request others give us that privacy as well.”

While Erika did not list the exact date of the former couple’s separation in her divorce filing, an insider told Us Weekly they had spent “several months” apart leading up to their split.

“Erika and Tom had an unconventional marriage, spending a lot of time apart,” the source told the outlet. “They would travel separately. Tom gave Erika a very lavish lifestyle, and she enjoyed it.”

When Erika joined the cast of the hit Bravo reality series in 2015, she “gained independence and confidence.” At the time, she was known as a pop star and the exposure on TV catapulted her music career and gave her “a much larger fan base.”

Erika Jayne Asks Estranged Husband Tom Girardi Spousal Support Amid Divorce
Shutterstock (2)

 

As a result, the former couple had “led separate lives for years,” an insider exclusively told In Touch shortly after their split. “[She] would go off touring and doing her own thing, and Tom would do his.”

They “were more like very close friends than husband and wife,” but the cracks in their relationship were revealed amid quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic in March. Erika and Tom “realized it wasn’t working during lockdown when travel restrictions were enforced,” and all the extra time in self-isolation gave Erika time to reflect on her life and her future. “Being married to Tom isn’t part of her plan,” the source added.