BY: Walker
Published 4 years ago
If you have been watching ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ you know one of the strangest marriages is of Mary Cosby and Robert Cosby Sr. her late grandmother’s second husband.
via: People
Mary Cosby is opening up about her unconventional marriage.
On Wednesday’s episode of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Mary explained the history of her relationship with her husband, Robert Cosby Sr. — who was also her late grandmother’s second husband.
“I always say, ‘I have beauty in all my mess.’ The reality is, I’m married to grandmother’s second husband, which was my step-grandfather,” she said.
Mary explained that when her grandmother died, her inheritance was dependent on her agreement to marry Robert Sr.
“Before she passed, she made it very clear that she wanted me to be the one to take her place in the church and inherit everything,” she said. “That came with homes, money, our church and also marrying her husband.” (On the series premiere, Mary clarified, “I am not Mormon — I’m actually Pentecostal. I am the first lady of our church.”)
“Don’t think it wasn’t weird, because it was!” she added.
Despite the nontraditional start to their relationship, Mary and Robert Sr. have been married for 21 years and share a teenage son, Robert Jr.
“I did it because I trusted my grandmother,” she said. “I’m so glad I did it.”
But not everyone was initially on board with the plan. Mary said she stopped talking to her mother when she was 19 because she objected to the marriage.
“It was all bizarre. I was actually 22 when we got married. It split our church,” she said. “My mom had a fit because she wanted the church, she wanted my grandmother’s place. My mom felt like she was the one that should have been marrying Robert Sr.”
Mary said her relationship with Robert Sr. has evolved over the years, initially starting as a friendship before turning romantic.
“The wedding night, everything was weird,” she recalled, admitting that she did not have sex with her husband on their wedding night. “Thank goodness I was on my period.”
“After we married, I had to get to know him,” she said. “I really felt like, ‘Wow, my grandmother really nailed it. If I had to pick a guy, this is what I’d pick.’ ”
While talking to fellow Housewife Meredith Marks, Mary said she and her husband started growing apart after their son was born, and 17 years later they’ve settled into a “partnership” more than a romantic relationship.
“You get in a space where you grow apart. Robert Sr., he’s in love with his son, like he will do anything for him. I’m the helicopter mom. We became partners as opposed to a marriage,” she explained.
And while they might not be deeply in love, Mary said she is committed to Robert Sr.
“My marriage was arranged, we have to make it work,” she said. “Leaving [is not an option].”
Different strokes for different folks, but the two have been married for 21 years so maybe they are onto something.