Cynthia Bailey Talks Dating Struggles Months After Divorce From Mike Hill

Cynthia Bailey opens up about the challenges of dating after divorce.

Last year brought a significant change in her personal life, as she officially divorced her husband of two years, Mike Hill, who is a well-known talk show host at FOX Sports. However, the popular reality TV star has been making headlines recently for her candid discussion about the difficulties of dating after their split.

The former couple's relationship played out in front of millions of viewers on the hit reality series "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." While she was fine with how they ended, she revealed that dating afterward was not all that it was cut out to be.

She recently provided an update to Dailymail on her love life following her highly-publicized divorce from Hill. In the three months since the split, the 56-year-old has returned to the dating scene, even joining the exclusive celebrity dating app Raya.

However, the outspoken star admitted to struggling to find serious potential partners, citing the challenge of finding someone her age. She noted that although men nearly half her age expressed interest in going on dates with her, she found it uncomfortable due to the significant age gap. As she put it, she could almost be their mother.

The "New York Undercover" actress credited 30-somethings for being more "emotionally available," and also noted that some older generations, such as Gen X and Baby Boomers, prefered younger lovers and were less respectful towards those over 50.

For the model, even though she lived in the modern world of dating apps and instant gratification, she wanted to connect with someone on a deeper level and be wooed. She described her experience using the exclusive dating app which only approves 8% of applications, as "hot and cold." Bailey said:

"I have always been transparent about my age. My real age is on there. I am leaning to a guy somewhat in my age category. What I am finding is the older guys want the younger women. And the younger guys want the older women, but I don't know what that means to me?" 

Despite these challenges, Bailey applauded herself for remaining committed to owning her age and being a role model for other women. As a women's health advocate, she encouraged the importance of taking care of oneself, both physically and mentally. 

She also stated that age was just a number and that women should feel empowered to own their age and embrace their beauty at any age. The actress, a self-proclaimed old-school romantic, had a warning for any potential suitors — texting is not the way to her heart.

Despite trying to adapt to the new rules of dating in the digital age, she stated, "I'm a huge communicator and texting just doesn't hit the same spot as just picking up the phone and calling me." She encouraged anyone interested in dating her to step up and make the effort to call her and show up in person.

During an appearance on the "Two Ts in a Pod" podcast, the TV personality finally spoke out about the reason behind the end of her marriage to the Fox Sports correspondent. The Blast reported that the former couple announced their separation in October 2022, leaving fans shocked and saddened.

During a candid conversation with the show's hosts, Tamra Judge and Teddi Mellencamp, Bailey revealed the tipping point that led to the separation from her former husband. She explained, "I felt like we weren't friends anymore. I felt like it was just going toward we're just not going to be friends if we didn't pump the brakes." 

The star, who has been married twice discussed the importance of friendship in a marriage, saying, "Like, love is great, but friendship has to be there. I truly want to be with my best friend." She admitted that she had both "good days" and "bad days" as they continued to go through the divorce process, which was not finalized yet.

She shared that despite the divorce, she still had a lot of respect for Hill, as they were still technically married. She also mentioned that while they were having issues before the announcement, they did not regret the decision to move on.