In the months since viewers last saw Stacey Rusch on The Real Housewives of Potomac, there have been some major developments in her love life — including a reconciliation with her ex-husband, Thiemo Rusch.
“As crazy as it sounds, I am back with my husband,” Stacey revealed to a producer on the supersized RHOP Season 10 premiere. “Do you see this glow? I’m really happy.”
On the heels of her breakup with Thomas Anthony “TJ” Jones, which she previously announced at the Season 9 reunion, Stacey went on to detail exactly how she and Thiemo rekindled their old flame. As she told it, they got back together during a family Christmas vacation to Mexico that they decided to take “for the sake of” their 9-year-old daughter, Arabella, aka Bella. At the time, they had already begun legal proceedings to end their 16-year marriage.
“We were notified that we were, in fact, officially divorced while we were on vacation,” Stacey recalled in an Episode 1 confessional. “We just looked at each other. I think we both knew it wasn’t the end of us. We had to give each other another try.” (Though Ashley Darby later questioned if Stacey and Thiemo ever actually legally ended their marriage, citing a lack of public records, she insisted that they were, indeed, “absolutely divorced.”)
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Stacey continued, “And now that the divorce is final and we found our way back to each other, we’re going with the flow right now. And the flow feels good.”
Echoing that sentiment, she later concluded, “It feels good to be back together. And we have just fallen right back into the step of things.”
Inside Stacey Rusch’s date night with ex-husband, Thiemo Rusch, on RHOP
During RHOP‘s Oct. 5 episode, Stacey took viewers inside her and Thiemo’s date night at a DMV Indian restaurant, explaining that they were “prioritizing” one-on-one time in their romance. She also gushed that she loved the fact he sends her “cute” e-invites “because it means this time is for us.”
“We’ve just always prioritized Bella,” Stacey explained. “And I think saying that we didn’t necessarily need a date night, we would rather have a family night, and not making sure that we had our own personal time, no wonder our relationship deteriorated.”
Thiemo, for his part, explained that he started sending Stacey date night e-invites because calling to ask her out felt “kind of strange.” Ultimately, he, too, thought it was important to have time just for them with “no distractions, no friends, no Bella.”
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Stacey, meanwhile, predicted that everyone would say they’re “crazy” for getting back together and asked Thiemo if he was “prepared” to face the criticism.
“Yeah, I’m prepared for that,” he replied. “But I also know that my real friends will always support whatever decision I’m making.”
At the conclusion of their romantic outing, Stacey couldn’t help but wonder why they kept “giving each other googly eyes,” to which Thiemo responded, “I don’t know. Maybe because we didn’t for a very long time.”
“And now we can’t stop looking at each other,” Stacey added. “I know how this is gonna go.”
As Thiemo put it, “Crazier things have happened.”
Why Stacey and Thiemo Rusch didn’t tell daughter Arabella about their reconciliation
Amidst their romantic moments, Stacey and Thiemo also unpacked their reasons for not sharing their latest relationship status update with their daughter.
“The plan is to leave Bella happy,” Stacey explained. “Because we just told her about the divorce, the last thing I wanna do is confuse Bella. And I think we stick to the plan and not talk about this.”
Thiemo agreed that they should “prioritize Bella,” adding, “Yeah, we can’t confuse her. And I think we gotta be sure.”
Who is Stacey Rusch’s ex-husband, Thiemo Rusch?
Thiemo Rusch is Senior Vice President, Sales Operations for Audi of America, Inc., according to his professional bio on the company’s website. A native of Germany, Thiemo earned his Bachelor of Science from the Berufsakademie of Mannheim, Germany, and went on to rack up more than two decades of experience with the Audi brand.
On RHOP, Stacey described Thiemo as being “more reserved that she is,” adding, “I love that his energy balances mine. Throughout our relationship, he treats me like a lady.”
Find out how else you can expect to see Stacey’s love life sparks drama on RHOP Season 10.