The real reason Theresa Caputo is getting a divorce

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Blake Edwards

Long Island Medium star Theresa Caputo filed for divorce from her husband of 28 years, Larry Caputo, in April 2018. As Radar Online reported, Theresa hired a "high-powered New York attorney" to represent her before Larry even hired a lawyer.

The couple had previously split in December 2017, with Theresa saying in a statement (via Radar Online), "After 28 years of marriage, we have decided to legally separate. We will always love each other and our two wonderful children." She noted, "We are united in supporting each other and our family. Please respect our privacy during this time."

Larry echoed that they still love each other, telling Radar Online in his own statement, "There is no animosity. We still have a concern for each other. We're still going to be in each other's lives." He continued, "I don't have a bad thing to say about Theresa. This is the way things worked out. There's no need for bitterness or animosity."

The pair, who were together for a total of 32 years and were once a beloved staple of TLC's reality TV roster, just couldn't make their marriage work anymore. What happened?

Fame hurt their marriage

Larry Caputo and Theresa Caputo in "Long Island Medium"

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Larry believes that the success of Long Island Medium ultimately led to the failure of his marriage to Theresa.

Larry told Radar Online that he had "no idea" what fame would entail when Theresa landed her reality television deal with TLC, lamenting that the experience was "exciting and fun in the beginning, but then after the longevity you become more exposed, [and] it effects your private life." What's more, he made it clear that the show was truly a reality show — not a scripted series. And, according to him, that aspect actually made working on their marriage more difficult than it would have been otherwise.

"When you're in the public eye, it does put a strain on your personal life," he said. "That can be hard for the average person who is not a trained actor, because a trained actor knows what they're getting themselves into. A reality person doesn't realize what they're getting themselves into until they're in it, and it's a learning process."

Larry wanted to work it out

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Despite Larry's issues with fame's influence on his marriage, he reportedly wanted to iron out his issues with Theresa before they ultimately threw in the towel.

Larry's father, Jack Caputo, told Radar Online that Larry was "probably more upset" than Theresa was about the separation and divorce, and said that he himself had only found out about the split from watching TV.

"I talked to him after [news of the breakup aired], and he was upset but he didn't want to say too much," Jack said. "I know she said they were splitting, but my son was saying, 'Dad, we are working it out,' so I'm praying they get back together." He added, "My son really loves her."

One of Theresa's neighbors also told the site that, on the day the split was announced, she saw Theresa giving communion at church and that she seemed to be in a good mood, noting, "She seemed perfectly fine."

They lived on opposite coasts

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In the case of the Caputos, distance didn't make the heart grow fonder. Larry and Theresa lived on opposite coasts, which likely made any chance of a reconciliation slim to none.

"Right now, Larry is in L.A. and I'm in New York," Theresa told Extra in April 2018, adding that living on her own was "an adjustment" but that she was "doing okay."

Larry explained to Radar Online that his life in California was much quieter than his life with Theresa was in Long Island. "It just gave me time to reflect back on things. It made me realize a lot of things that I didn't notice before because of the business in our lives — whether it was because of the show or marital life — you take things for granted, you oversee things," he said. Noting that he'd "come to peace," he continued, "I don't have the stresses and the things exposed to me that were upsetting to me are not there any longer."

Larry also told Radar Online that Theresa's schedule was a little too hectic for them during their marriage, making it so they hardly saw one another. "What Theresa does is very demanding, and it was consuming most of her time," he said, "which takes away from personal time."

Larry's father, however, didn't understand the strain that distance caused their marriage, telling Radar Online, "They can be away from each other, and then on the days they're not away, they can be together. What's the problem?"

They grew apart

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Along with physical distance came emotional distance for the Caputos.

On an episode of Long Island Medium (via E! News), Theresa explained, "We've been there for each other, you know, through thick and thin, you know, good times, and right now are not such great times. I don't understand it." Sharing that she'd lay awake at night wondering how they'd let their relationship become so strained, she said, "I sometimes interpret it as growing apart. I've changed and he has changed. We're both not happy and, you know, it's hard to try to work through that."

In another episode of their show, Larry is seen telling a friend, "We're having a difficult time" (via Radar Online). He explained, "I think a lot of the frustration has to do with us not spending the time together anymore. Along with that comes the lack of communication so it's like losing your best friend. It's hard."

Theresa predicted they'd have problems

"Long Island Medium" star Theresa Caputo

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Theresa Caputo may have had somewhat of a premonition about her marriage ending.

During a 2013 episode of Long Island Medium, as reported by Radar Online, Theresa lashed out at husband Larry after she had a dream that he was cheating on her with another woman, telling him when he arrived home that he was in "big trouble." Larry, however, didn't take her concerns too seriously, smirking and telling her that he, too, had a dream the night before that a woman was hitting on him. But he also vehemently denied any actual involvement with other women, telling Theresa that she was all he could think about.

Still, Theresa proceeded to give Larry an ultimatum to save their union: They either had to go to couple's therapy or take dance lessons together. He opted for the dance lessons, which may have been a poor choice in hindsight, considering their later split.

Her anxiety was an issue

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Theresa revealed in her book Good Grief: Heal Your Soul, Honor Your Loved Ones, and Learn To Live Again that she suffered from anxiety for 25 years.

"I personally know a lot about fear and how it can roll into full-blown panic and inertia, because it dominated a good chunk of my life for 25 years," she wrote (via Radar Online). "During this time, I suffered from what therapists call 'anticipatory anxiety' — in other words, thinking about future events made me feel anxious and interfered with my ability to function."

She explained that her crippling anxiety made her never want to leave the house or go out with her friends, and that she had a tough time even identifying triggers for her anxiety — which, in a bitter cycle — made her even more anxious.

She claimed that she realized her panic attacks were a result of not understanding that she could speak with the dead, saying, "I came to learn that my overwhelming anxiety was occurring because I was ignoring spirit energy that was trying to communicate with me, though I didn't know it at the time."

That, in turn, put a heavy burden on Larry, who told Radar Online, "I was her support system. I was her backbone." Noting that Theresa had depended on him, he admitted, "She's grown … and her dependence on me became less because she was able to overcome a lot of the issues and fears that she had."

Larry has moved on with a new lady

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At the time of this writing, Larry Caputo is dating again, seeing a pretty woman who TMZ identified in July 2018 as Connie Stauddy, a 53-year-old resident of Decatur, Ala. But here's where it gets sketchy: TMZ reports that Stauddy actually met Larry online when she reached out in hopes of getting a reading from the Long Island Medium herself, Theresa Caputo … and that they'd kept in touch since. Stauddy, a proud grandmother who bears a striking resemblance to Steve Mnuchin's wife Louise Linton, is reportedly going through a divorce of her own. Her relationship with Larry is said to be "very new," though they were spotted looking at furniture together, so it may well be getting serious fast.

Larry alluded to the romance to Radar Online in June 2018, telling the site, "I just want to be in a great relationship with the person I'm with now. I just want to enjoy the latter part of my life — traveling, doing things. What else can anybody ask for?"