Jenelle Evans is trying to find the positive in her bumpy marriage with estranged husband David Eason.
“I don’t regret that time because I learned a lot of life lessons that were very important for me to grow up and mature,” Evans, 32, shared via her Instagram Stories on Friday, April 26, when participating in a Q&A. “Life is easier to understand I would say.”
The former Teen Mom 2 star added, “I always have learned from [my] mistakes and he was def a big mistake.”
Back in March, Evans filed for separation from Eason, 35, after six years of marriage. The reality star filed the documents with “the intent that the separation be permanent.”
When asked by a social media user why she filed for a separation and not a divorce, the 16 and Pregnant alum explained her mindset.
“I would’ve skipped straight to divorce but I couldn’t because in the state of North Carolina, you have to be legally separated for a year, and you have to prove you have two separate addresses,” she said via TikTok on March 6. “The problem with that is that neither of us wanted to leave, so whenever I had the window of opportunity that I was able to file for separation, I filed something called separation by bed and board.”
Throughout their marriage, Evans and Eason made headlines for the ups and downs in their love story. In 2019, MTV officially cut ties with the couple after Eason admitted to killing the family dog. Evans broke things off with her husband that same year, but they reconciled in March 2020.
As the pair continue to live separately, Evans — who shares son Jace, 14, with ex Andrew Lewis, son Kaiser, 9, with ex-boyfriend Nathan Griffith and daughter Ensley, 7, with Eason — alleged that her immediate family is happy someone is out of the picture.
“Everyone is happier and my ex doesn’t even reach out to call or text any of the kids,” Evans alleged about Eason. “Living his best life. Even his own daughter doesn’t even want to live with him.”
Last month, Eason addressed his separation with Celebuzz and said he is “so much happier and healthier without Jenelle.”
“The stress I was under was making me physically sick,” he told the publication. “I’m so glad I don’t have to wake up to extreme anxiety every morning now.” He also expressed his willingness to sign divorce papers as soon as possible.
During her Q&A, Evans was specifically asked about Eason’s TikToks, where he talks about his current reality. She seemingly warned her fans to not believe everything they see.
“Everything he’s saying he’s just doing it to make himself ‘look better’ but in actuality,” she said, “he knows the person he truly is behind closed doors.”
As Evans moves forward with her separation, she told one follower that dating is not a priority. Instead, she’s “focusing on myself and my kids.”
When another fan said Evans looked “happier despite everything,” she replied, “I do good at hiding it, but have a lot of anxiety today.”