Absence makes the heart grow fonder? On Wednesday, March 12, Amy Roloff and Matt Roloff announced their decision to have a trial separation after 26 years of marriage. In a sneak peek clip of their TLC reality series Little People, Big World, the estranged spouses open up about what caused their split.
“Amy and I are separated. Last year, it was long and tough,” Matt explains. “Amy and I had a lot of tensions, so right around Thanksgiving, I thought I would move over to the [guest] house for a little bit and we’ll try that.”
One of their disagreements that drove Matt to move out? Clutter. “Amy and I stuck it out for years when maybe we shouldn’t have. I never quite felt at home in my own home, so something needed to change,” Matt says, after a flashback clip is shown of the twosome arguing over clutter. “We needed to try something different. You can call it a separation if you want or a trial separation, but it’s more of just giving each other some space.”
In the clip, which was filmed during the final weeks of 2013, Amy prepares a holiday meal for their children — twin sons Jeremy and Zach, 23, daughter Molly, 20, and son Jacob, 17 — in their main house.
“I think what Matt and I failed to do over many, many years was learn to live together,” the mom of four says. “It’s not my choice for him to leave. I am saddened by it. It’s been 26 years. We don’t have a plan for how we’re going to work this out, so it’s not going to be easy.”
The separation could really just be a trial, however. In a joint statement to Us Weekly on Wednesday, the Helvetia, Ore.-based couple explained: “Matt remains living on the farm in our guesthouse, and we work together every day on the farm, on our business endeavors, and most importantly, raising our amazing children.”
The one-hour special of Little People, Big World — documenting Amy and Matt’s separation — will air March 25 on TLC. Watch the sneak peek above and tell Us if you think the couple is better off apart.
