Kristen Taekman's 19-Year Marriage Is 'Stronger Than Ever' Nearly a Decade After Ashley Madison Scandal (Exclusive)

The 'Real Housewives of New York City' alumna opens up to PEOPLE about the state of her marriage to husband John Taekman following his headline-making controversy

Kristen Taekman has a marriage that has withstood time and controversy!

PEOPLE caught up with the former model and Real Housewives of New York City alumna ahead of her return to the Real Housewives universe on Thursday at the premiere of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacy. And though she first left reality TV months after her husband Josh Taekman made headlines for being among those with accounts on infidelity website Ashley Madison, Kristen says the scandal didn't break them.

"I have to say, I’m very proud of our relationship and I think we’ve come a long way," says Kristen, 46. "We are stronger than ever. And maybe I’m back to prove everybody wrong and break all those silly myths about Housewives marriages, because despite what everyone probably thought, we're still happily married."

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In October, the Takemans celebrated 19 years together, sharing loving posts to one another on Instagram. The couple, who married on Oct 23, 2004, are parents to two kids: son Cassius, 15, and daughter Kingsley, 11.

Bravo viewers first met them when Kristen joined the show in season 6, which aired in 2014. At the time, she and Josh appeared to be struggling in their relationship, with Kristen even joking in the show's trailer that she was likely "getting divorced" after Josh criticized her for not having food on the table when he came home from work.

But in Kristen's eyes, those strifes were typical of a couple balancing their romance with work and parenthood. "I don’t think we were fighting, really," she recalls to PEOPLE. "We had very small kids. I think when you have very small babies and you’re trying to film a TV show, that’s kind of what came out in that."

Their marriage appeared to be in a better place during Kristen's second season — that is until August 2015, when, days before the airing of the season 7 reunion, hackers dumped stolen subscriber data online from Ashley Madison, the dating website marketed to married people looking to start an affair. Josh's name was among the 32 million users of the site whose login details, email addresses and payment transaction information was shared.

Josh has long denied he cheated. "I signed up for the site foolishly and ignorantly with a group of friends and I deeply apologize for any embarrassment or pain I have brought to my wife and family,” the EBOOST co-founder at the time told PEOPLE in a statement. “We both look forward to moving past this and getting on with our lives.”

Looking back on it all, Kristen stands by her husband, noting that she never got to address the scandal with viewers because she didn't come back to the show. "Unfortunately, all this has to come back up again now 'cause of the show, but he never cheated on me and it was never a problem in our marriage," she says.

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She continues: "Josh and I have a really great relationship, We come from two really great, strong family foundations. We both have the same interests, meaning we support each other and love each other and will do anything for our children. We're a great team."

Asked the secret for maintaining a 19-year-marriage, Kristen says it call comes down to not over-complicating things.

"It can be a lot easier than people think," she shares. "If you simplify everything and really concentrate on what’s important, I think that really shines through. For us, for a very long time, it was just being together. We moved to the suburbs of California, and really just focused on our family life. It's what's kept us strong."

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Of course, now Kristen is dipping her toe back into the Real Housewives world. Fans can watch her and fellow RHONY legends Dorinda Medley, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, Ramona Singer, Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan on RHUGT: RHONY Legacy, which premieres Thursday on Peacock.

"It’s fun to kind of be in all this again," says Kristen. "I was just glad to go back on TV and have fun with these awesome ladies. It's good fun, we had a great time. I fee like I picked up right where we left off. It was like riding a bike!"

And now that her kids are old enough to watch, Kristen says she's not worried about what they'll have to say. "The only thing that comes up with my kids being the age they’re at, their friends will be like, ‘Oh my gosh, your mom has a blue check?' " she laughs. "Isn’t that ridiculous? And I never think about that silly blue checkmark, but they’re like, ‘How come your mom has a blue check?’ It's that Twitter and Instagram world!"

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The first three episodes of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacy drop Thursday on Peacock.

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