The Story Behind 'RHOP's Ashley & Michael Darby

Real Housewives of Potomac is really coming through in its rookie season. There are no fillers here when it comes to the cast; every one of these ladies is both intriguing and entertaining. Case in point, the new girl to the group Ashley Darby. She is significantly younger than the rest of the squad at age 26, but ironically seems like the most mature person in the cast. So it's not super surprising that she found a husband who's older than her — 29 years to be exact. But I still cannot help wondering, how did Ashley and Michael Darby meet?

I can't imagine that they had the same social circle; I just don't know many twenty-somethings who hang ot with 50-year-old dudes everyday. And on top of that, Michael is from Australia, so that's a little random, as well. There has to be some special circumstances at play here.

When I hear about couples with a big age gap, my mind automatically turns to the stereotype of an older man who has a thing for younger ladies, but that's actually not what happened here. Ashley was the one who started crushing first and then did what she could to land a date with Michael.

She Spotted Him On A Security Camera

In a BravoTV.com interview, Ashley talked about meeting Michael for the first time when she was 22 and working at a bar: "I was talking to my manager in the main office when I watched Michael walk in on the security camera. Sweet baby Cleatus! Even with a blurry, black and white picture, I was hooked. Love at first sight is real, y’all!” I wonder what it was like the first time Michael actually saw Ashley since he was not knowingly present for this "love at first sight" occurrence.

She Went For A Position At His Company

Ashley was not comfortable making a move on Michael, so she came up with another plan to spend more time with him. She told Bravo, "When I (nervously) approached him I couldn’t say, 'You should wife me up,' so I asked about a marketing internship at his company." Personally, I would be more nervous being an intern trying to get with a boss, than just a woman approaching a man I don't work for, but I guess this opportunity got them closer together.

She Asked Him Out

Even with Ashley's constant presence, Michael still did not make any moves to be more than friends or colleagues, so she just went for it herself: "After a few months, I gathered up the courage to ask him out for a real drink and that’s all she wrote! Moral of the story: trust your gut and go for what you want!"

Ashley is the kind of person who has no qualms about going after what she wants and now she and Michael are happily married reality TV stars and restaurant owners. We could all take a cue from Mrs. Darby when it comes to dating.