Vicki & Brooks' Split Isn't Cancer Related

There's been a lot of debate about Real Housewives of Orange County star Vicki Gunvalson's relationship with Brooks Ayers. It has been on and off for the past four years, but it seems like Vicki & Brooks' breakup in May of 2015 will finally be the end to their crazy journey. While it seems like it might have been the accusations about Brooks' cancer that caused the Vicki breakup, that's not actually the case. In fact, in her latest Bravo blog, Vicki insisted that her fans should respect Brooks' cancer diagnosis and that it wasn't a laughing matter — she's still convinced that he's being honest, whether or not anyone else agrees with her.

On the other hand, Brooks, who also never cited his cancer as a source for the breakup, has hinted in a retweet that the events of RHOC Season 10 contributed to breaking them up. And, how could they stay together after the stresses of Season 10? Brooks has always been a target in this series, but even more so after he revealed his cancer diagnosis. But, there's been a lot this season on RHOC that could be responsible for a breakup, besides his alleged lie about having cancer.

Also, let's not forget that Vicki and Brooks have broken up many other times, as recently as late 2013. Their relationship was always on-again-off-again and never seemed totally smooth. In late 2014, Bravo reported that Vicki & Brooks had gotten back together in order to help him through the cancer diagnosis. To Bravo, Brooks even said cancer "either will tear you apart as a couple or bring you together. And, with us, without a doubt, it's brought us together." But, Vicki's heartfelt messages online suggest that their relationship was more than just a fight for Brooks' health, and that the split was an emotional decision.

Since Vicki doesn't seem to have any doubts about Brooks' health, it doesn't seem like that's why they broke up. And, Vicki still seems very upset that his cancer diagnosis was ever doubted by her friends, so they weren't the ones to convince her to end the relationship. But, there's also plenty about the non-Housewife parts of RHOC that might have prompted Brooks and Vicki to split. As any fan of the show knows, Vicki's daughter Briana is a voice of reason in her mother's life and has been vocally against Brooks' treatment of Vicki since they first got together.

After Briana moved to Oklahoma, Vicki got back together with Brooks. But, after the death of Vicki's mother in February, her family seems more important to her than ever. Maybe, off camera, Vicki privately reached the conclusion that a closer relationship with her daughter was more important than staying with Brooks.

However, there's no guarantee that this will be the true ending of Vicki and Brooks. Brooks seems ready to blame The Real Housewives of Orange County for the failure of their relationship, while Vicki just seems hurt more than anything. There's no telling whether or not they'll patch things up by the RHOC Season 10 reunion. But, on the chance that they don't, at least know that their split is not confirmation that Brooks was lying about anything — no matter what Meghan, Tamra, or Shannon might suggest.