Inside Real Housewives Alums Alex McCord And Simon Van Kempen's Relationship
"The Real Housewives" franchise has been providing fans with drama and entertainment for over 15 years. With stations in Orange County, Salt Lake City, and even Dubai, it has become one of Bravo's most successful investments. One of the most popular series in the franchise is "The Real Housewives of New York," and original cast member Alex McCord slowly became a fan favorite when the series premiered in 2008.
McCord debuted on the show with her husband, Simon van Kempen, and their two sons, Francois and Johan. Van Kempen and McCord were married in 2000 and had their children in 2003 and 2005, respectively. While the couple received some backlash during the first few seasons of "RHONY" for their choice of living arrangements and parenting style — they lived in Brooklyn instead of ultra-trendy Manhattan like the rest of the cast and seemed light on child discipline — it was always clear that the two of them were hopelessly in love, and continue to love and appreciate each other to this day.
McCord moved to Australia to be closer to van Kempen's family
Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen made an unusual choice while they were filming "The Real Housewives of New York" to reside not in Manhattan with most of the other cast members, but to live in Brooklyn with their children. While the family loved their time in the Big Apple, when McCord and van Kempen were let go from the series in 2011, they decided to make the most of their departure. Saying goodbye to the beloved city, the couple moved to van Kempen's home of Australia to be closer to his family. They have been living down under since 2014, and in 2020 celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on the beaches of Australia.
"Celebrating 20 and looking ahead to the next 30!" McCord wrote on Instagram for their anniversary. "Happy 20th anniversary to my best friend @simonvankempen."
Van Kempen also penned a sweet message to McCord on Instagram, saying, "We've lived an interesting life (to say the least) but through it all our mutual love has never wavered. I might be 56 but I am greedy and want at least another thirty more! Alex, I love you so much."
Van Kempen supports McCord in her new career
When Alex McCord was on "The Real Housewives of New York," she switched between many different jobs, dabbling in design, charity work, becoming an author and modeling on runways. However, since leaving the show, she's pursued a career in psychology, receiving her Master's degree from the University of New England in Armidale, Australia, and planning to graduate with her Ph.D. in 2025. McCord's change in career has been fully supported by her husband, who tweeted about his pride upon McCord's unconventional graduation with her Master's degree in 2020.
"The boys and I wanted to celebrate this amazing achievement of Alex's by watching her walk across the stage to be conferred her Master's degree, but like so many others have experienced, 2020 graduations are not what any of us expected."
While van Kempen and his sons might not have been able to see McCord walk across the stage, they are looking forward to her next achievement; van Kempen continued, "What I do know is that nothing will stop her from accepting her Ph.D. in person. We are so proud!"