The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Girardi is divorcing her husband, Tom Girardi, after 21 years of marriage, according to E!. The reality stunner filed for divorce on November 3rd, 2020, having married Tom way back in 1999. Despite any press about it, their 33-year age difference has never been an issue, and Erika has always been vocal about shutting down any criticism.

She said of their split, in a statement to E!,

"This is not a step taken lightly or easily. I have great love and respect for Tom and for our years and the lives we built together. It is my absolute wish to proceed through this process with respect and with the privacy that both Tom and I deserve. I request others give us that privacy as well."

In her 2018 memoir, Pretty Mess, Erika explained how she first met Tom. She was working as a cocktail server at the once-iconic Beverly Hills restaurant, Chasen's, where Tom would frequently dine. Erika wrote,

"After a year of working in the restaurant, one night I decided to slip Tom my telephone number."

But once they were official, the duo immediately took heat for their whopping age gap. Erika once said on Real Housewives,

"I've dealt with this forever: the younger woman that married the wealthier, older man. I mean, I'm tired of having to justify my 20-year marriage. Go get a 20-year marriage, then come f------ talk to me."

While Erika has a son from a previous relationship, she and Tom have no children of their own. But what they do have, according to TMZ, is a quote, "ton of assets." While it's unclear how everything will be divvied up, we know that Erika and Tom don't have a prenup. Still, that doesn't seem to be a problem. Erika said on Bravo's Then and Now in 2017,

"Let me tell you something, let me be very clear. I'm married to a very powerful lawyer. A prenup wouldn't stand in his way anyway. […] It's gonna be all Tom's way, I assure you. […] He'll rip that piece of paper to shreds in two seconds!"

One thing that likely made this marriage work, at least initially, was that Erika seemed to understand early on that Tom was used to being in charge. In her memoir, she explained where Tom drew the line, recalling,

"After our engagement, Tom said, 'Listen, I'll buy you anything you want. I don't care what it is. You name it. But I'm not wearing a wedding band. I never have, I never will. I don't like it. It's uncomfortable. Please don't ask me to.'"

While some may have seen it as a red flag, the arrangement worked out fine for Erika. She added,

"A wedding band does not have magical powers. It is not going to stop anyone from doing something."

Erika fully accepted Tom's type-A personality and even had some fun with it. She revealed to The Daily Dish in April 2020,

"Well, he's in my phone as 'The Boss.' I don't know what I'm in his phone as. Probably, you know, just my number. He's 'The Boss', but he always has been. I mean, that's who he is, you know?"

Fans of the couple already know that Tom Giardi was one of the lawyers in the famous case that inspired the film, Erin Brockovich. So it's safe to say Erika had a great resource in Tom, a sentiment she confirmed to The Daily Dish, when she said,

"Being married to a lawyer, it's great to have that legal mind at your disposal. Hey, what does this mean? I have a question. I'm always asking questions. He loves the law more than anything, and the chance to explain it is, like, you know, all that he lives for. So, any time I call and have a law question, it's always answered."

Tom also gave Housewives alum, Denise Richards, some legal advice — via phone — on the show, in 2020. So it sounds like he is happy to share his talents. In fact, Erika joked that she had soaked up so much legal knowledge from her husband that she could be a lawyer herself. She told the outlet,

"I feel like I could probably take the bar, for sure. Maybe Erika Girardi Esquire. Why not? Why not continue the legacy? I mean […] Girardi and Girardi. Sounds like a recipe for disaster."

From the looks of it, the couple won't be partners in anything in the near future. Watch the video to see Inside Erika Girardi's Divorce!

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