Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker are proving that family comes first.
A day after announcing that they are divorcing, Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker came together to celebrate their daughter Blaze’s sixth birthday with a Snow White-themed bash at Ready, Set FUN! in Atlanta.
On Friday, Nov. 21, Burruss, 49, announced her split from Tucker, 52, sharing an exclusive statement with PEOPLE. She said the pair had decided to go their separate ways after 11 years of marriage and welcoming two children together.
“After deep thought and a lot of prayer, I’ve made the decision to move forward with a divorce. This is a difficult and emotional time, but my focus remains on protecting my peace, being the best mother I can be, and co-parenting with love and respect,” Burruss told PEOPLE.
“I’m stepping into a new chapter pouring into my work, my family, and my own growth,” she added. “I’m grateful to everyone who supported us throughout the years, and I ask for privacy, grace, and understanding as we navigate this transition with our family.”
Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker, a producer, met while filming the fourth season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2011 and announced their engagement in January 2013. They tied the knot the following year in April.
They welcomed daughter Blaze on Nov. 22, 2019, with the help of a surrogate, five years after their son Ace’s birth. In 2020, Burruss revealed that surrogacy was initially a “tough decision,” but said that looking back, she “wouldn’t change a thing.”
“We were just trying to figure out like, okay, should we do this? How can you trust somebody with your most precious possession, your most precious gift … somebody that you barely know?” she shared in a 2020 episode of Parents magazine’s We Are Family podcast.
“But now that it’s all said and done, I wouldn’t change a thing. It was the best decision that we could have made,” she added.
Burruss, who is also mom to daughter Riley, 23, opened up to PEOPLE about her IVF journey with Ace in 2018.
“My husband and I, we went through the IVF process to get Ace, so of course that was very emotional,” she said at the time. “I definitely cried when Ace came out.”
Now, at 9 years old, Ace is already involved in the entertainment industry. He is the host of his own YouTube channel, Ace Plays And Giveaways, where he has more than 20,000 subscribers.
Back in September, Burruss — who will return to Broadway to star in & Juliet from Dec. 6 through March 8 — spoke to PEOPLE about her love of family, and how she prefers to forgive rather than stew over arguments.
“People think it’s weird how I just move on from an argument, but I don’t need an apology,” the singer and reality star said. “I know people who don’t even speak to their family. That’s just crazy to me!”