By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday, April 8, 2016

While the dreaded "d" word has not been broached, Cynthia Bailey recently told NBC's "New York Live" in reasonably clear terms that a divorce with Peter Thomas is becoming a likelier possibility.

The couple married soon after Bailey joined "Real Housewives of Atlanta" in 2010. They have drifted apart since Thomas began spending more time in Charlotte with his Sports One bar. He has yet to open a new version of Bar One in Atlanta. The first one shut down in 2014 in Grant Park and a new one planned on Auburn Ave. has not come to pass.

Cynthia told the hosts that "things are not great with Peter and I. At this time, I'm just taking for myself to figure it out. Unfortunately, when you go through issues like this, you can't shut your life down and meditate and properly meditate... We have not done anything officially but we are in talks about moving forward in a different direction."

She said she still loves Peter. "Things started falling apart early on," she said. She noted that being on the reality show didn't help matters.

"I can only do but so much," she said. "At some point, nothing has to be that hard."

According to TMZ, Peter got sick of doing "Real Housewives" and that is part of the reason he moved to Charlotte.

In the March reunions show, she and Peter denied they were separated. And in the taping of "Real Housewives" in December, they appeared to be in a better place.

On March 24, Cynthia told ET: "Only God knows what's going to happen with that. There's a point where, if it's working, we'll keep going. And if it's not, then we might not keep going."

So who knows if papers will actually get filed. But hey. Headlines are headlines, right? If Cynthia keeps talking about it, gossip sites will keep reporting it.