Ashley Darby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ashley Darby
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Darby at WWHL in 2021
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| Born |
Ashley Boalch
June 8, 1988 Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
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| Education | The University of Maryland (BA) |
| Occupation |
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| Title |
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| Spouse(s) |
Michael J. Darby
(m. 2014; div. 2025) |
| Children | 2 |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Major competition(s) |
Miss District of Columbia 2011 (Winner) Miss America 2012 (Unplaced) |
Ashley Darby (born June 8, 1988) is an American TV star and singer. She became well-known after winning the Miss District of Columbia beauty pageant in 2011. Since January 2016, she has been a main cast member on the TV show The Real Housewives of Potomac.
Early Life and School
Ashley Darby grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her mother, Sheila Matthews, raised her. Ashley has two younger half-siblings, Zach Smith and Jessica. When she was a teenager, Ashley often worked to help her family earn money. After finishing high school, she went to the University of Maryland College Park. She earned a degree in communications from the university.
Her Career Journey
Since it started, Ashley Darby has been a cast member of The Real Housewives of Potomac. In the early seasons, the show often focused on her wish to have children. It also showed her efforts to run an Australian-themed restaurant called Oz. She owned this restaurant with her former husband. The restaurant was open for almost four years before it closed in June 2019.
Music and Pageants
In 2018, Ashley Darby released a song called Coffee and Love. Her brother helped produce this song. Before joining the TV show, Ashley worked as a bartender. She worked at one of her future husband's restaurants. In 2011, she won the title of Miss District of Columbia. After winning, she represented the District of Columbia in the Miss America competition.
In 2025, Ashley Darby appeared in a TV show called Love Hotel. She starred alongside her Real Housewives of Potomac co-star Gizelle Bryant. Other stars from the Real Housewives series also joined the show.
Her Family Life
Ashley Darby married Michael Darby in May 2014. Michael is an Australian restaurant owner and real estate developer.
Their first son, Dean Michael Darby, was born on July 7, 2019. Ashley openly shared that she felt a bit sad after her first son was born. She talked about experiencing "postpartum blues" in the first month.
Their second son, Dylan Matthew Darby, was born in March 2021.
In April 2022, the Darbys announced they were separating. They had been married for almost eight years.
