I felt relief when marriage split went public -- Andrea

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MOVING ON: Andrea

By Melanie Finn

Friday October 15 2010

SOCIALITE Andrea Roche (33) has broken her silence for the first time about the painful breakdown of her marriage to PJ Mansfield.

The model agency owner and Miss Universe Ireland founder has revealed how there was an "element of relief" when it first emerged that their nine-year relationship was over.

Despite the break-up, she also said she wouldn't rule out getting married again in the future.

"I had very mixed emotions. It was very tough on everyone involved -- my family, PJ and his family, and it hurts when the public are reading about the fine details of your own personal life," she said.

"Having said that, I'll admit there was an element of relief that it was out in the open, and you hope that now it will just die down and go away. But it wasn't easy to see it in black and white. When it's out in the open, you've nothing to hide any more."

turmoil

The former Miss Ireland went on to tell VIP Magazine how dealing with all the publicity surrounding the break-up only served to add to her personal turmoil.

"It was inevitable that we would be at the receiving end of press interest. It did feel like we were being pressurised at a time when we were trying to deal with our own lives, which made it especially difficult.

She added: "I suppose it occurred to me that there were no skeletons left in the closet any more! My family and friends already knew, but now the general public did as well.

"I found most people to be incredibly supportive. I got calls from people I hadn't heard from in a long time to offer their support."

Asked about the trigger for the break-up, she added: "We both changed, but I don't think any one thing led directly to the break up -- it was a combination of factors."