Mauricio UmanskyandKyle Richardsare working through a dip in their27-year marriage.

Afternarrowly securing his spotin week three ofDancing with the Starson Tuesday, the realtor opened up about his relationship with his wife amid theirseparation.

“We’ve been married for 27 years,” Umansky, 53, tells PEOPLE. “We’re having a bit of a rough patch.”

He says that “sometimes life throws you different things” and “you’ve gotta work through it.” His marriage to Richards, 54 — the first 26 years of which were “amazing” — is no different.

“She and I currently are separated, but we are not throwing in the towel,” he shares. “We’re not just saying that to say that. We actually are not yet throwing in the towel.”

Todd Williamson/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

) Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky arrive to the 2019 E! People’s Choice Awards

As for what he says he wants fans and the public to know about the situation, Umansky says, “It’s very difficult to be in the public eye and have so much inquisition when you’re going through something tough.

He continues, “My wife is just being looked at so intensely and it’s really not fair. She’s just a person. She’s an amazing human, she’s my best friend and she does not deserve to be so judged of everything she does.”

Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Mauricio Umansky and Kyle Richards

He calls the interest in their marriage “too much” and asks that fans “give us time” to sort things out.

“We promise you we will let you know," he adds. “We’re not hiding anything from you.”

Kyle Richards, Mauricio Umansky and their daughters.Mauricio Umansky/Instagram

Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky are currently vacationing together amidst their separation

Mauricio Umansky/Instagram

“We were dealing with our own things, kind of, super quietly and internally, just our own issues,” he said on the episode. “I mean, certainly, we’re not separated. We’re not divorced at this point. We are not any of that stuff.”

He added that he andThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsstar are “still dealing with our marriage.”

“We’ve been married for 27 years now together, and it’s been an amazing 27 years,” theBuying Beverly Hillsstar said, before qualifying that “it’s been an amazing 26 years — and it’s been a difficult one year.”

Umansky continued, “You know, Kyle and I are blessed, where we actually had 26 years that we did not have a bad year and I know most marriages have bad months, bad weeks, bad years.”

Kyle Richards, Mauricio Umansky and their daughters.Kyle Richards/Instagram

Kyle Richards Says She, Mauricio Umansky and Their Daughters Felt Better After Separation News Broke

Kyle Richards/Instagram

In July, a source close to the couple told PEOPLE that they were “still living under the same roof” despite being “separated for a while.”

“They remain amicable as they figure out what’s next for them and their family,” the source added.

Umansky and Richards met in 1994 following the Bravo star’s divorce from her first husband, Guraish Aldjufrie.

Theyshare three daughters:Alexia, 27,Sophia, 23 andPortia, 15. Richards is also mother toFarrah Brittany(née Aldjufrie), 34, from her previous marriage.

“The most challenging one of our marriage. But we both love and respect each other tremendously,” they continued. “There has been no wrongdoing on anyone’s part. Although we are in the public eye, we ask to be able to work through our issues privately. While it may be entertaining to speculate, please do not create false stories to fit a further salacious narrative. Thank you for the love and support, Kyle & Mauricio.”

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Dancing with the Starsairs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC and Disney+.

source: people.com