Former New York City Mayor, Bill De Blasio, 62 and Wife, 68, Announce Their Separation; Say They Wont Divorce But Will Date Other People and Continue to Share Their Home Together

Former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, 62,  and his wife Chirlane McCray, 68,  have announced their separation after 29 years of marriage. 

The pair confirmed their breakup in an interview with The New York Times published on Wednesday, revealing that they would be undergoing a trial separation and dating other people but are not planning to divorce.

Bill de Blasio and Chirlane McCray sat down for an extensive and open discussion about their separation. They gave a nearly three-hour interview, during which they expressed their feelings, regrets, and perspectives on their marriage.

The mayor told the New York Times of his marriage: “I can look back now and say, ‘Here were these inflection points where we should have been saying something to each other.’ And I think one of the things I should have said more is: ‘Are you happy? What will make you happy? What’s missing in your life?'”

The couple, who will still be maintaining a shared living space also stated that they are not planning to divorce but will instead date other people.

They will continue to reside in their Park Slope townhouse, which served as the family home where they raised their two children. Despite their decision to separate, they intend to coexist and maintain a living arrangement together.

Reflecting on their decision, Mr de Blasio expressed regret over not asking important questions about their happiness and needs. The strain on their marriage, influenced by their public roles, is seen as a lesson for other couples navigating similar challenges.

The couple also attributed their separation to the pressures of Mr de Blasio’s mayoralty and the Covid-19 crisis, which limited their ability to address their relationship.

Their relationship had already undergone strain during Mr de Blasio’s 2020 presidential campaign, which Ms McCray considered a distraction. 

De Blasio and McCray, a writer, and activist, married in 1994. They share two children; daughter Chiara, 28, and son Dante, 25.

First elected as mayor of New York City in 2013, de Blasio left office on Jan. 1, 2022, making way for new Mayor Eric Adams, who was sworn in after the New Year’s Eve midnight ball drop in Times Square in the first minutes of 2022.