Olivia Plath Reflects on Her Marriage to Ethan ‘Falling Apart’ — and Why ‘Compassion’ Is Now a Dealbreaker

“Working with so many couples and seeing their relationships up close helped me see what I deserved and could have,” Olivia Plath said

Olivia Plath is shedding light on her broken marriage with Ethan Plath.

In an Instagram Story Q+A, Olivia responded to a fan’s question about whether it was “ever triggering” for her to work as a wedding photographer “while going through a separation.”

“Not at all!” the Welcome to Plathville star began. “There were times last year that I felt disingenuous championing others marriages while mine was falling apart. But on the flip side, working with so many couples and seeing their relationships up close helped me see what I deserved and could have. I’m so glad I finally realized that 🥰 🙏🏻.”

Olivia, 25, shared in a separate Q+A response what her “must haves” are in a future partner.

“Curiosity and compassion are two non-negotiables for me!” she explained. “Also, someone who knows that I’m going to change as I learn, grow and explore. Idk, that might be nice 😂🙊.”

The reality star added, “Oh, and also wouldn’t mind splitting the cooking responsibilities,” seemingly making a dig at Ethan’s comments from Tuesday’s Welcome to Plathville finale, in which he suggested that their marriage could’ve been saved if Olivia was “cooking three meals a day” for him.

Olivia and Ethan, also 25, announced their separation in October after five years of marriage. Ethan was the first to share the news on Instagram, noting that it “just didn’t work between us, though Lord knows we both gave it all we had.”

“It seemed we were constantly pulling each other in opposite directions in life with different goals,” he continued. “I wish Olivia the best in the future ahead. I care for her deeply and always will.”

In Olivia’s post, she briefly looked back on their shared time together.

“I have ambivalent memories of us being 18 years old, innocently dreaming of forever – but the partner you choose is a reflection of the world you want to live in, and at 18 I didn’t know who I was or what kind of life I wanted to create for myself,” she wrote.

“7 years later, I’ve already begun my journey of questioning, deconstructing and rebuilding and I know that is a process that I will continue to prioritize throughout my life,” she added. “Thank you for the good times, Ethan. I wish the best for you.”

The now-exes had been facing relationship troubles for a while, with fans being able to see their ups and downs on the Plath family’s TLC series. They had struggled to see eye-to-eye on several key issues including communication, politics, religion and differences in how they want to raise children.

In the season 5 finale, airing Tuesday, Ethan officially decided to end the pair’s marriage.

“I feel like I have to draw a line in the sand and say this is the absolute limit where my personal beliefs will let me go with where you are now and bringing kids into the mix with that because they’re just not compatible,” Ethan told Olivia. “I first told you things that I’ve been holding inside for a long time, and that is that if there was anyone on the face of this earth today that I could have kids with, I would want it to be you.”

Ethan continued, “I love you very much and I wish that that’s the way that things could be. But I also, in good conscience, holding the beliefs and values that I have and with the way that you have changed, I can’t see how I can do that. There’s just things I’m not OK with the children that I raise growing up to think and believe. It’s a matter of principle to me.”

Through tears, Olivia responded: “I’m the kid of two people whose principles matter more than a relationship with their daughter, and I will be damned if I repeat that. So yeah, it hurts that I feel like I’ve been committed to this relationship, and I do feel that you’ve made the choice for us to not be together. But I support the choice, and I do think that that’s the right move for what we both want our futures to look like.”

“I love you as a person,” she added. “I think we’re not the right romantic partners for each other, but I still love you and I still want the best for you. No one can say we didn’t give it a shot.”

At the episode’s end, a title card stated that “Olivia and Ethan have mutually decided to file for divorce.”