'Sister Wives' Christine Says Standing Up For Herself Changed Dynamic Of Marriage To Kody

Christine Brown is opening up about how finding the courage to say no to her ex-husband Kody Brown significantly changed the dynamic of their relationship.

The duo was married for more than two decades. They tied the knot in 1994, securing Christine's position as the third of the sister wives.

In a recent interview, the former spouse opened up about how going from a people pleaser to someone who could say no to her husband led to their eventual separation.

Ahead of TLC's final one-on-one "Sister Wives" special episode, Christine got candid about how the state of her union with Kody shifted as she learned to stop saying yes to all his demands.

In an ET Online exclusive clip, the 49-year-old spoke about how having an attitude of agreeing to everything without arguments was her nature for most of her relationship.

One day, Christine could no longer tolerate accommodating every excess and decided to change. She said to the interview's host Sukyana Krishnan,

I just had to be always positive and upbeat and 'whatever you need' and 'absolutely.' I didn't mind. It was what I did. It was completely fine...until it wasn't. All of a sudden, I just realized I couldn't anymore.

The former wife noted that her confidence was inspired by a conversation with her father, who asked when she would start saying no.

Christine took her concerned patriarch's advice and decided to start speaking up for herself, but Kody was not pleased with the spontaneous development, leading to detachment issues on both sides. She explained,

I think that he heard, but he had no idea what to do because I changed so much in the blink [of an eye]. Everything changed, and Kody withdrew, and then I withdrew, and then we just withdrew.

The former third spouse also shed light on her therapy sessions with Kody, where they talked about issues that shocked her completely. 

Kody also talked about his marriage with Christine and later expressed to the host that he no longer wanted to speak about his ex-wife.

Christine's decision to leave her husband of 5 years short of 3 decades was not an easy one and doing so impacted more than just her and Kody.

Earlier this month, The Blast disclosed that the "Sister Wives" star said she knew her decision to divorce Kody would emotionally affect others, but she had to do right by herself. 

Christine shared her thoughts on an episode of the TLC reality series. She believed that as long as God was okay with her decision, she would leave her marriage—despite being heartbroken over hurting others.

Last November, the 49-year-old announced her exit from her polygamous marriage after growing apart from her husband over the years. Earlier this month, she spoke about leaving, saying,

“But I knew I was making a decision that would break hearts, and it tore me apart. And it was super, super sad.”

Christine admitted that, at one point in her union with Kody, she felt like the ‘basement wife’ because she put herself in a weaker spot.

Christine explained that she always put the needs of her husband and the other wives before her own until she could no longer be a peacemaker.

The former sister wife also revealed that she now has different religious views from the Browns, who are members of the Apostolic United Brethren, which supports polygamy.

Christine, a former church member, realized that polygamous women were not trapped in a marriage and could follow the stated procedures to become single once again.

Following Christine's split from Kody, there was no more intimacy between them, and she felt uncomfortable having his belongings around.

The Blast shared that the TV personality transferred her ex-husband's items from her room to the garage. She also spoke on feeling free after they split, saying, “I feel like I can take a breath and get myself grounded and get my head in a good place and just rest for a bit.”

The two had marital issues for 12 years and are now dedicated to co-parenting their six children, though Kody was reportedly not very supportive during their marriage.