Why Christine Brown ‘Just Knew’ Kody Wasn’t Her Soul Mate — and How His Shocking Words Still ‘Take My Breath Away’

Christine, who announced her engagement to her “soul mate” David Woolley in April, tells PEOPLE how her new relationship is “simple” compared to what she had with Kody

Christine Brown always had a gut feeling her ex Kody Brown wasn’t the one.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the 51-year-old Sister Wives star reveals she never believed in “soulmates” until she met her now-fiancé, David Woolley.

“I never thought that I would be in a relationship with someone who would get me so well,” she explains. “He gets me so well and he understands, and he doesn’t care about all the extra stuff that comes with me. Because there’s a lot, I’m fairly complicated.”

Christine says her life with David is “simple” in the best way, saying, “I didn’t know I could have a simple life with somebody.”

“I didn’t know I would find a soulmate,” she gushed. “I totally found a soulmate. He’s totally my soulmate and I didn’t even know.”

In April, the reality star announced she was engaged to David after going public with their relationship on Valentine’s Day.

“I finally found the love of my life, David,” she wrote alongside a photo carousel of the two. “The first time he held me close, it felt like my soul took it’s first breath.”

“He’s wonderful and kind, incredible with my children and an adorable grandpa. I never dreamed I could find a love like this,” the reality star added.

Before David, Christine was married to Kody for 25 years and welcomed their children Paedon, Aspyn, Mykelti, Gwendlyn and Ysabel. In November 2021, the former couple announced their separation on Instagram.

Christine confessed she didn’t “really believe” in soulmates until she watched her children fall in love and find their significant others. When it came to her own relationship, she tells PEOPLE: “I didn’t think that Kody and I were, I just knew we weren’t.”

Though their plural marriage has ended, the TLC personality revealed that some of Kody’s words still leave her dumbfounded and “take my breath away.”

“I’m so shocked that [it] would actually come out of somebody’s mouth,” she says of the statements he’s made about their separation. “And I’m like, ‘I can’t believe you just said that. I can’t believe you just said that.’ And then there’s been several things that he said through the years where I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’”

Claiming that his choice of words “blows my mind,” Christine admits that she worries that his thoughts are “even worse.”

“Because I know there’s some things that don’t come out of my mouth,” she explains. “There’s some things where that filter goes into place, I feel like saying something and I rein it back.”

She adds, “What if he’s reining things back? What else could come out of his mouth?”