Nearly two years after Christine Brown left her plural marriage to Kody Brown, she can confidently say she has no regrets about the life she built with their extended family.
“Just because I left, it doesn’t mean we failed,” the Sister Wives star, 51, exclusively tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “It only means there’s change.”
She continues, “Our goal was to raise incredible children, and we did. It was a success for us.”
Christine married Kody in 1994 and over the years welcomed children Paedon, Aspyn, Mykelti, Gwendlyn, Ysabel and Truely. (In addition to his family with Christine, the 54-year-old Brown family patriarch has another 12 children between his present marriage to fourth wife Robyn and his former marriages with to first and second wives Meri and Janelle.)
Christine announced in a November 2021 Instagram post that she was ending her spiritual marriage to Kody.
“After more than 25 years together, Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave,” she wrote. “We will continue to be a strong presence in each other’s lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family. At this time, we ask for your grace and kindness as we navigate through this stage within our family.”
Christine thanked fans at the time for being “understanding” and having “compassion.” She also added several hashtags, including “change is good” and “change is scary.”
Fifteen months after she announced the end of her marriage to Kody, Christine revealed on Valentine’s Day that she’d found new love with David Woolley.
“I finally found the love of my life, David,” she wrote alongside a carousel of photos. “The first time he held me close, it felt like my soul took it’s first breath.”
“He’s wonderful and kind, incredible with my children and an adorable grandpa. I never dreamed I could find a love like this,” the reality star added.
Just two months later, Christine announced her engagement to her Woolley after he proposed in Utah.
“David treats me like a queen and tells me I’m beautiful every day,” Christine told PEOPLE at the time. “I’ve never been in love like this before, and the world seems like a brighter place with him in it.”
She added, “I’m so excited for the wonderful adventure we are going to embark on for the rest of our lives.”