It has been a year since Christine Brown left behind her marriage to Kody Brown after 26 years, along with her fundamentalist Mormon faith.
“I get to live life for me,” Christine, 50, says in the latest issue of PEOPLE. “My whole world has changed, and every single cell in my body is happier.”
Sister Wives Star Christine Brown Talks Dating After Leaving Polygamy
Before Christine announced on Instagram last November that her spiritual marriage to Kody was over, she shared a life with her husband and his three wives Meri, Janelle, and Robyn in Flagstaff, Arizona.
The pair who wed in 1994 are parents to son Paedon, 24, and daughters Aspyn, 27; Mykelti, 26; Gwendlyn, 20; Ysabel, 19, and Truely, 12. Kody has a total of 18 children between the women.
While Christine always wanted a plural marriage, things started to change in 2018. “I started thinking maybe this isn’t working for me,” she says. “And then I stopped believing in polygamy. I realized I didn’t really want to live it anymore. I didn’t like sharing a husband or feeling like I wasn’t important.”
After being unhappy for years, she decided to pack up and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, with Truely to start a new life.
“We got here and that night when I went to bed, I realized I was home,” she says. “It was just like that. And I got to start over again and it was exciting and it was new and so scary because I had no idea what to expect, but I was so excited. I remember feeling hope for the first time in a long time because I just got to take my life by my own and go. It was wonderful.”
Christine co-parents with Kody, 53, who still sees his daughter often, but both the mother and daughter have been leaning into their new life.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened up Truely’s door and been like, ‘What should we do for fun today?’ And so we just pick a destination and we go and we just have fun and we just go and explore. I mean, it’s just absolutely amazing,” says Christine.
RELATED: ‘Sister Wives’ Star Maddie Brush Makes An Announcement That Has Everyone Incredibly Siked
“And now that I live here, there’s so many things to do and I just want to do it all.” And that includes dating, however, she is not quite ready to dive in just yet.
“I would love to date. Love the idea of the end having a romantic partner. But I talked to Truely about it the other day and she’s like, ‘Mom, I really like our life how it is now.’ Down the road. I’m just going to let fate take care of that one.”
When she does, “I want a guy who actually loves me and wants to be with me intimately,” she says. “I will be a monogamist from here on out.”
Mamas Uncut is THE online place for moms. We cover the latest about motherhood, parenting, and entertainment as well – all with a mom-focused twist. So if you're looking for parenting advice from real parents, we have plenty of it, all for moms from moms, and also experts. Because, at the end of the day, our mission is focused solely on empowering moms and moms-to-be with the knowledge and answers they’re looking for in one safe space.