Kyle Richards Refers to Split With Mauricio Umansky as 'Divorce'

Kyle Richards is one to choose her words carefully, so it's especially shocking she used the word "divorce" to describe what she and Mauricio Umansky are going through.

Kyle was at BravoCon Saturday when she talked to TooFab and other reporters, about her tough 2023 ... "I've gone through a lot this last year that does change you. Losing my best friend to suicide changed me. Going through my divorce, all that has made me stronger but it definitely changes you as a person. I feel good."

Kyle and Mauricio have always called their split a separation, and this is the first time her reference was about ending their 27-year marriage.

She was even asked about reconciliation, and she skirted the question ... saying "I just take it a day at a time ... We're still living together under the same roof and I'm proud of the way that we are navigating through this."

As we've been reporting, Mauricio's been super tight with his "DWTS" dance partner, Emma Slater, and even after getting booted from the show, they were seen out together Saturday night, walking into an L.A. nightclub arm in arm.

As for Kyle, she's been super close with country star Morgan Wade for months, although they have not publicly defined their relationship other than to say they're close friends and collaborators on a documentary.