Taking time apart. 90 Day Fiancé alums Paola Mayfield and husband Russ Mayfield are ‘on a break’ and seeking marriage counseling, In Touch confirms.
“During this pandemic, it’s hit everyone very hard, especially coupes who have had to stay indoors with each other 24/7,” Dominique Enchinton, Paola’s manager and owner of Dominion Talent House, tells In Touch. She also notes that the couple’s decision to move into an RV made things harder since they were in such closer quarters together.
“Russ has lost his job during the pandemic, so Paola was the sole breadwinner for the past year,” Dominique explains. “With all of that, it’s definitely taken a toll on both of them being in each other’s faces, so they are going to be taking a break for a little bit.”
She stresses, however, that “they are not getting a divorce yet.” She says, “They are still together. They are just taking a break and going to therapy to work through the issues.”
The duo first sparked breakup rumors on Wednesday, August 11, when Paola shared several cryptic messages via social media. “Part of the reason why relationships end is that we get caught up in other things, forget to appreciate one another, and sadly, marriage isn’t a priority anymore,” the season 1 star tweeted.
Later that day, she added fuel to the split speculation by sharing another tweet. “People asked me why I don’t take pictures with my husband, and my answer is … I just don’t like to pretend [shrugging emoji] #youareguessingright,” it read.
After reposting the same message to her Instagram, she clapped back at a user who told her to “show some respect to your king.” In response, the reality babe said, “I don’t have a king.”
Paola and Russ were one of the original couples featured on the hit TLC series. The pair met in her native Columbia when his job as an oil industry field engineer led him to her home country. They got married on October 7, 2013, and welcomed their son, Axel Mayfield, in January 2019.
“One thing we do want to address is that Paola has been getting a lot of backlash from people on her social media, and that’s something we don’t appreciate,” Dominique adds. “A lot of people are saying that she was in it for the green card, but Paola has had her green card for over five years already so that’s not true.”
“They love each other very much and have nothing bad to say about one another; they respect each other,” she clarifies. “A lot of couples have gone through this. There is no animosity or anything like that.”
“We ask people to respect their privacy and just be mindful of what fans are saying — we’re all human beings and not here to hurt each other,” she urges. “One thing people should have learned during this pandemic is that we should be lifting each other up, not tearing each other down.”