Braunwyn Windham-Burke and her estranged husband, Sean Burke, don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things — and dating seems to be one of them.
Sitting down exclusively with Page Six at their shared home in Newport Beach, Calif., the exes — plus Braunwyn’s girlfriend, Jennifer Spinner — argue over some apparent “double standards” that plague their post-split dynamic.
“There’s times when we’re one big happy family and there’s other times where it’s, like, let’s not be in the same room together,” the “Real Housewives of Orange County” alum begins, confessing that Sean’s previous relationship was a major issue for her.
“I really hated his ex-girlfriend. I really disliked that girl,” she said of the unnamed woman, further alleging, “She was, like, cyberstalking me and almost young enough to be my daughter.”
Sensing a heated exchange, Spinner — who often plays “referee” between Braunwyn and Sean — then chimes in to say, “OK, we don’t need to do that.”
However, Braunwyn is compelled to explain her disdain for Sean’s old flame.
“That was a hard one because he never told me about it,” she claims. “I found out from our kids, I found out from our housekeeper. So, for me, I always want to know things. I’m an over-sharer … I’d rather know more than not, so I think we clash a lot about that.”
Sean, for his part, remains perturbed by Braunwyn’s staunch aversion to the individual.
“I dated a girl who’s 28 for a little bit. That was it …This ended months ago,” he says before addressing his ex directly: “It’s still going on in this woman’s head. Still got real estate in your mind.”
(In the weeks that have passed since this interview was conducted, Braunwyn connected with the 28-year-old in question and is in a “better place” with her today, she tells us.)
Braunwyn, 45 — who came out as a lesbian in December 2020 — finally filed for divorce in October 2022 after an extended separation from Sean.
While she wholly embraced her sexual identity by dating a succession of women, Sean claims his post-split love life suffered because of his soon-to-be ex-spouse.
“One of the biggest reasons I hadn’t had a relationship or date is because I couldn’t have anybody around the kids,” says the dad of seven.
“And not having someone around the kids is an immediate dealbreaker for me. And Braunwyn was like, ‘You can’t for nine months or a year have somebody around the kids.’”
Meanwhile, Braunwyn maintains, “That’s not what I said.”
Regardless, Sean was initially unnerved that concessions were seemingly made for Spinner, 38.
The Germany native — who spends ample time in New York City, but is gearing up for an April move to Franklin, Tenn., with Braunwyn and her children — met the entire brood mere weeks after they began dating in the summer of 2022.
The former couple shares Bella, 22, Rowan, 20, Jacob, 17, twins Caden and Curren, 9, Koa, 8, and Hazel, 5.
“I was really like, ‘Well, what the hell? So now you like somebody, six weeks she’s in?’” Sean says, recalling his reaction to Spinner’s early introduction.
“Turns out in this case, Jen is a great person. But I was not that cool with it right away, like, ‘Oh cool, here you are.’”
Spinner agrees with Sean’s account.
“He’s right and we’ve talked about double standards,” she says, turning to Braunwyn: “You and I have had a lot of conversations around the double standard and that it’s unfair to hold Sean to standards that you don’t uphold.”
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But Braunwyn insists that she wants to see Sean move on.
“I want to see Sean with someone that makes him happy,” she says. “Not [someone] that I’m going to pick out, but I’d like you to be with someone nice.”
Braunwyn adds, “I don’t have much that I’m asking for, just someone nice. That’s all. Age-appropriate would be great.”
Sean predicts “issues” will arise once the family settles into their new life down south. The plan is for Sean to stay at the Tennessee home when Spinner and Braunwyn are away, a form of “nesting” the family has become accustomed to since the separation.
“I do have a lot of empathy for Sean’s [future] girlfriend in relation to managing Braunwyn,” quips Spinner, who exchanged vows with her in a “fake” Las Vegas wedding on Valentine’s Day.
When asked to describe his ideal partner, Sean assures Page Six that that he is “going to date somebody who’s older than” his kids.
“It’s more about where somebody is in their life than it is exactly how old they are,” the businessman clarifies.
“But ideally, I’m with somebody who can handle all of this and be a part of the kids’ lives and I don’t plan on stopping that. And can handle [Braunwyn].”
Braunwyn suggests that she only wants the best for Sean as she still affectionately calls him her “person.”
“He’s still my first phone call and he’s still my person — for anything. And I will say that,” she says, her eyes glistening with tears. “I love Sean. I mean, 28 years [after meeting him], yes, I will always love him.”
Spinner points out that “no one could fight as much as you guys” if there still wasn’t love.
“You can’t hate somebody if you don’t love them,” Sean acknowledges.
The pair is now working through more emotional turmoil as they take steps to finalize their divorce. A legal dissolution is incumbent on agreements reached over custody and spousal support.
Despite this intense period, Sean applauds Braunwyn for the strides she’s made in her sobriety and as a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community. (She announced she was gay shortly after publicly admitting her alcoholism; she’s been sober for more than three years.)
“Braunwyn coming out but getting sober at the same time were two massive things to happen, like, immediately,” he says. “As much as I fight with Braunwyn, she’s in a much better place right now and the sobriety thing is not something to be pushed under a rug.”
To emphasize his message, Sean shifts his body to face Braunwyn.
“I think it’s amazing that you’re able to accomplish that,” he tells her. “There’s going to be a lot of bumps along the way. We’re still on that rocky road full of potholes, but we’re going to get there.”