Sutton Stracke's Life Has ‘Changed A Lot’ Since Ex-Husband Christian Moved To London
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Grab your diamonds, rosé, and chicest wind chimes, because The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills just wrapped up a fiery season 13. This season centered around Kyle Richards and Mauricio Unmansky’s separation, Kyle's (potentially more than) friendship with country star Morgan Wade, and new 'wife Annemarie Wiley's feud with Crystal Kung Minkoff (and Sutton Stracke's esophagus).
Suffice to say: The tea was piping hot.
And no other Housewife stirred the pot this season as much as Southern Belle Sutton. Not only did Sutton share some hot takes about Kyle and Mauricio's relationship status, but she also melted down during the ladies' trip to Las Vegas and experienced a scary medical emergency during the reunion.
As for her own relationships, Sutton tried it out with new man Steve during this season, but it seems like her new horse Santos is the only man in her life at the moment. "When you go to see a horse about a man, but realize all you need is your horse," the reality star captioned a carousel of photos of herself and her pet on October 17.
But before Santos came along, Sutton was married to Christian Stracke. During the reunion, Sutton opened up about how Christian's recent move to London affected her family, with the Georgia native adding that she found her "courage" to remain in the Los Angeles.
And since the reunion, Sutton exclusively told Women's Health that her life has "changed a lot."
Here's everything you need to know about Christian Stracke:
Is Sutton still married to Christian?
No, the couple divorced in 2016. They got married on May 13, 2000 at the Central Presbyterian Church in New York, according to their marriage announcement in the New York Times. During their 16-year marriage, the couple had three children: Porter, Philip, and James.
Why did Sutton and Christian get divorced?
Sutton has never shared the nitty gritty details of their split, but she did share that the divorce came as a shock in a deleted scene from season 11, shared by @queensofbravo on Twitter. Sutton said Christian filed for divorce on her birthday without telling her and then came to her birthday party with a cake. The day after Sutton's birthday, Christian called her en route to Florida and told her she needed to get an attorney. "He had moved out, so we were separated, but I didn't think, like, separated forever," Sutton recalled to the ladies.
"...See, this is why I cry all the time,” Sutton added, before explaining that she got through the divorce with champagne, chocolate, girlfriends, and good pajamas. (An icon.)
Where is Christian Stracke from?
Christian, like Sutton, grew up in Augusta, Georgia. They met in high school, per the New York Times.
Where did Christian go to college?
Christian has an undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago.
What does Christian do now?
From 1992 to 1994, Christian worked in the Peace Corps. He served in Mauritania, West Africa. As a volunteer, he taught tree planting and anti-erosion techniques, per the Times.
These days, Christian works in investment banking as a managing director and the president of PIMCO, an investment management firm. Christian joined PIMCO in 2008, according to his bio on the company’s website.
During season 13, Sutton opened up about Christian moving to London, noting that she felt compelled to follow him although they're no longer married. During the reunion, she shared that she "went through her whole marriage being dictated."Now, the former couple has agreed that Sutton and her son James, 17, will remain in Los Angeles full-time while Christian is based in London.
Sutton exclusively told Women's Health that her life has still "changed a lot" since the move.
"When I got divorced, I didn't want to do the week-on and week-off, and I fought real hard not to. A year-and-a-half later I did it, and then I started liking it because you get to find a part of yourself that you'd sort of forgotten. That's when I started working again. It became a positive for me," she explained. "Now, that's gone. I'm just week-on, week-on, which has also become a blessing because my son and I have gotten very, very close."
"We laugh about it," she added. "I call us, 'The odd couple.'"
How much is Christian Stracke worth?
Though there are no exact reports on how much Christian is worth, Net Worth Gorilla estimates that his 2023 net worth is $30 million.
Even Sutton had no idea how much her husband was worth until they split, she shared on Watch What Happens Live. During that conversation, Andy Cohen recalled that, in Sutton’s audition tape for RHOBH, she said she only learned during the divorce proceedings that she owned part of a baseball team.
“He was in charge of the finances so I didn’t know anything,” she said, adding, “I was like ‘Wow, I’m rich!’” Court documents posted on Instagram by @bravobonecollector show Sutton received more than $2 million in cash, homes, cars, artwork, and investment properties, among other things.
Christian also pays Sutton $300,000 a month in spousal support unless she gets married or one of them dies, per Bustle, as well as child support for their three kids.
Plus, that big chunk of change is what Sutton receives after taxes are taken out, she revealed on a December episode of Watch What Happens Live. Since that appearance, Sutton has encouraged fellow divorcées to use the funds wisely.
"And for any divorced women out there receiving spousal support: you deserve every penny, it’s yours," she wrote in a subsequent Instagram post. "Now go make it even bigger! And it’s never too late. I believe in you."
What does Christian think of RHOBH?
It's unknown what Christian thinks of his ex-wife's career as a reality TV star, but the show did cause some friction in their relationship, according to Sutton.
Apparently, he was a major contributing factor to Sutton's demotion from full-time cast member to "friend of" in her first season on RHOBH. On a July 2020 appearance on WWHL, Sutton told Andy that her ex-husband didn’t want their children to be on camera, which limited her filming schedule. “I was constantly dealing with that, and it’s hard on me,” she told Andy. “It weighs on me, having to deal with him.”
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