Longtime fans of The Real Housewives of Potomac know that Ashley Darby has had a complicated relationship with her father. Remember that heartbreaking scene where she went to his house, and he slammed the door in her face, refusing to come outside and speak with her?
Sadly, Ashley shared the news that her father recently passed away. In an extra-candid Instagram Story, she admitted that she didn’t attend the funeral, and things never got better after that scene on RHOP.
Ashley Darby has learned to “close a door” – especially one “that was never opened”
“Happy Sunday, my friends,” Ashley began in an October 12 Instagram Story. “Last week, while I was in New York, and I was coming home on the train, my mom informed me that my father had passed away.”
“Today was his funeral, and I contemplated going, almost to have my own sense of closure,” the RHOP star continued. “But I’ve been traveling so much, I really wanted to be with my own kids this weekend. My rationale was: Why would I want to take away time from my own kids for someone who never made time for me?”
Although Ashley didn’t attend the funeral, she learned a few eye-opening things about her father by reading his obituary. For example, she found out he has two sons, loved to garden, and taught himself how to play guitar. They had a lot in common, but she still wrestled with the complicated feelings of grief. How do you mourn someone who refused to be in your life?
“It said in the obituary that his greatest accomplishment was being a dad to his two sons,” she revealed. “It stung a little bit, whatever. You know, it’s interesting how you can mourn and have a unique form of grieving for someone you have no relationship with, right?”
According to the mother of two, she held out hope that things would change with her dad, who passed after an aggressive bout with cancer. Now, she’s looking at the situation as a learning lesson in the art of moving on.
Ashley said, “I guess what I ultimately surmised from this experience of my life at 37 is really learning to close a door. A door that was never opened, but also will never be opened.”
“It’s just so weird. I really can’t understand how any human being doesn’t want to love their children or can’t love a child. But, it is what it is, and life will certainly go on,” she concluded.
The Real Housewives of Potomac airs on Bravo at 8/7c on Sunday nights. Stream it on Peacock or Hayu in the UK and Ireland.
TELL US – DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF SUPPORT FOR ASHLEY DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME?
