Sai De Silva is opening up about one of the most difficult chapters of her life as “The Real Housewives of New York City” returns for Season 16.
Ahead of the Tuesday, September 8 premiere, Sai spoke candidly about her divorce from David Craig and acknowledged that there are still parts of the experience that are difficult for her to discuss. The reality star also revealed that cameras captured some of what was unfolding in real time, meaning viewers will get a more personal look at what she was going through behind the scenes.
For Sai, who joined RHONY when Bravo rebooted the franchise in Season 14, the new season is shaping up to be a particularly vulnerable one.
Sai De Silva Says Her Divorce Has Been ‘Very, Very Hard’
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s “It’s Me, Tinx,” Sai addressed the end of her marriage and how she has been handling such a major change in her personal life.
“I know it’s very surprising to a lot of people, but this is my personal life and something that I’ve kind of been dealing with on my own,” Sai said. “There are some conversations that I can’t get through without crying. You know, it was just … very, very hard.”
Sai and David share two children, daughter London and son Rio. Their family life had previously been part of Sai’s story on RHONY, making the changes in her marriage a significant shift from what viewers had seen from her in earlier seasons.
While Sai is opening up now, she made it clear that the story viewers see on television wasn’t recreated after the fact. Some of the difficult moments unfolded while the show was actively filming.
“And there were a lot of things that happened that were real-life, in-the-moment moments and the cameras were up,” Sai explained. “And I think people are going to understand me a little bit more after they watch it.”
Her comments offer a hint at what could become one of Season 16’s most personal storylines without revealing exactly how much of the divorce will play out on camera.
Sai Says ‘RHONY’ Season 16 Could Show Viewers Another Side of Her
Sai has faced plenty of opinions from viewers since joining the franchise, but she seems ready to let the upcoming season speak for itself.
Her suggestion that fans may “understand” her more after seeing what happened comes as RHONY enters another new chapter. Sai returns alongside Erin Lichy and Jessel Taank, while former Housewife Carole Radziwill is back in the mix. Newcomers Hailey Glassman, Daisy Toye and Erika Hammond are also joining the cast.
And despite the criticism the rebooted RHONY has faced, Sai isn’t putting the responsibility on one former cast member.
When asked whether she blamed Brynn Whitfield for some of the backlash surrounding the show, Sai said she did not.
“No,” she said. “We’re a team. There is no I in Housewives. I know some Housewives feel like they are the show. We were the newbies. Bravo fans are really — they struggle with change.”
Rather than asking viewers to simply give the cast another chance, Sai had a more pointed request ahead of the premiere.
“I don’t even want to say give us a chance,” she said. “I just want to say watch this s**t and then circle back.”
With Sai indicating that cameras were there for some of the most difficult moments in her personal life, Season 16 could give viewers considerably more context about what she was experiencing away from the group.
“The Real Housewives of New York City” Season 16 premieres Tuesday, September 8, at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo. New episodes stream the following day on Peacock.
