Vicki Gunvalson has spent years sharing her love life on Bravo, from her marriage to Donn Gunvalson to her controversial romance with Brooks Ayers and broken engagement to Steve Lodge.
Now, the “Real Housewives of Orange County” star is more than four years into her relationship with Michael Smith. But recent episodes have shown that Vicki still thinks about the way her marriage to Donn ended.
“I wish somebody had come up to me when I decided to divorce Donn 16 years ago to say, ‘Stop,’” Vicki said during “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Roaring 20th.”
“I was caught in this being on a reality show and traveling. Nobody told me like, ‘Shape up, Vicki. This TV life that you’re living is temporary.’”
She added, “I’ve been divorced from Donn since 2014, and every time a birthday comes up or an anniversary, I think, ‘What happened?’”
Vicki Gunvalson Was Married Twice Before RHOC Changed Her Life
Vicki’s first husband was Michael J. Wolfsmith, whom she married in 1982.
The couple had two children, Briana and Michael Wolfsmith, before divorcing in 1991.
Michael once revealed on the RHOC series premiere that the pair met while working at a grocery store.
“I met Vicki working at a grocery store,” he said. “I was a bagger and she was a cashier.”
Vicki later admitted they married very young.
“I married very young. I was 21 years old. I was a young mom by the time I was almost 24,” she recalled. “[Michael and I] were very much of a mismatch.”
Vicki married Donn in 1994. The couple remained together for years and were still married when RHOC premiered.
They renewed their vows on camera in Turks and Caicos during season 5 while celebrating 15 years of marriage.
Just months later, Vicki filed for divorce in October 2010. Their divorce was finalized in 2014.
Vicki recently revealed that she unexpectedly ran into Donn while she was with her current boyfriend, Michael.
“I took Donn’s face, and I said, ‘I hope you’re doing good,’” she told Tamra Judge.
Vicki admitted the encounter stirred up old emotions.
“I just wanted to hug him and kiss him,” she said. “I just wanted to be like, ‘I’m so sorry I divorced you.’ I didn’t mean to do that.”
She later told producers, “It was a nice encounter, so to speak. But it was hard for me. Because I flashed back to all our life together. Vowed to be together for forever. It’s hard.”
The Cancer Scammer Became One of Vicki’s Most Controversial Relationships
After her split from Donn, Vicki dated Brooks Ayers from 2012 until 2015 — and this is where her relationship history gets especially messy.
Brooks became infamous among RHOC fans after he was accused of faking documents related to claims that he had cancer. The cancer scandal consumed the show and created major fallout between Vicki, her castmates and members of her own family.
Vicki initially defended Brooks, but their relationship ultimately ended in 2015.
Years later, the Brooks chapter remains one of the most notorious parts of Vicki’s dating history, thanks in large part to the cancer scandal that followed him throughout his time on RHOC.
The RHOC Star Nearly Married Steve Lodge
Vicki began dating Steve Lodge in spring 2016.
By April 2019, they were engaged, and their engagement celebration was filmed for RHOC.
The relationship never made it to the altar.
Vicki later revealed that Steve ended their engagement just one day before she arrived at Dorinda Medley’s Berkshires home to film “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Ex-Wives Club” in 2021.
“We are now officially broken up,” Vicki said on the show. “My heart is broken and I don’t know what happened.”
She later suggested the relationship had been struggling for some time.
“A year ago I bought a place in Mexico, and he decided to live there more than California,” she said.
Vicki also revealed they had not “had sex in 13 months” before the breakup.
Vicki Gunvalson Says Michael Smith ‘Fills My Emotional Love Tank’
Vicki went public with Michael Smith in June 2022.
More than four years later, the couple has built a life together, including homes in Southern California and Mexico.
“I’ve been dating a gentleman now four-and-a-half years,” Vicki told Bravo Insider. “We actually just bought a house together in La Quinta. We have a good life.”
During the RHOC season 20 premiere, Vicki explained that she and Michael split their time among several properties.
“Mike, my boyfriend, and I, we live primarily in Coto De Caza, and we go between La Quinta, and my favorite place, Puerto Vallarta,” she said.
Vicki said her relationship with Michael feels different because they allow each other independence.
“He can do his thing, I can do my thing and we know we’re going to be home together,” she told Shannon Beador.
She also told producers, “Four years into our relationship, Mike fills my emotional love tank. Like, I know when I’m with him, I feel empowered. I feel good. He accepts me.”
Vicki then joked, “I’m a lot to accept.”
Michael works as a developer and temporarily took an out-of-state job in 2024, forcing the couple to navigate periods of long-distance dating.
“He’s a developer. He’s doing a project that’s going to be a couple of years,” Vicki said on “My Friend, My Soulmate, My Podcast.” “But we live together in California but he’s going back and forth and it’s hard. It’s my new normal now.”
Vicki has also become close with Michael’s family. His daughter Olivia works for Vicki’s company, Coto Insurance and Financial Services, and Vicki attended Olivia’s 2025 wedding.
Despite being happy with Michael, Vicki said her past has changed the way she approaches relationships now.
“I know I’m a different person now with Michael than I was with Donn,” she said. “I value our time together more than I did when I was married, because I took it for granted.”
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