'Real Housewives Of Atlanta' Phaedra Parks Speaks Candidly About Parenting With Husband Apollo Nida Behind Bars

It's been more than a year since Apollo Nida began his multi-year prison sentence, but Phaedra Parks and her children are getting along just fine. The star of Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" has spent much of Season 8 focused on being the best single parent she can be. She's now speaking out about the challenges she's faced and how she was able to overcome them.

In an interview with The Daily Dish by Bravo on Monday, Phaedra, 44, called her husband's leaving "abrupt," noting that it was not something she, or any other parent in her situation, could prepare for. She told the publication that it was harder on her eldest son Ayden over Dylan because he was old enough to understand the situation. Phaedra said she immediately sought out a therapist for Ayden, 5, to help him cope with his feelings. Still, she says both boys are "doing fine."

"When Apollo left, [Dylan] was only one year old right after his first birthday, so he didn't have the actual connection that Ayden had because obviously Ayden is five now, so he was very aware of what was going on," she said. "They're doing fine. It's been a process, but they're doing fine."

Apollo appeared on "RHOA" alongside Phaedra during Season 7. A majority of the season focused on their deteriorating marriage and whether or not they'd stay together throughout his lengthy prison sentence. In an April 2015 interview, Apollo opened up about his relationship with Phaedra, recalling the start of their love story. He told Sister 2 Sister he admired his wife and "everything that she did" when they first met. Apollo added that he felt they'd lost sight of their vows since then. While he could not say definitively whether or not they would stay together, he wished Phaedra the best and said he was crossing his fingers the marriage would last.

That interview came just two days after Phaedra opened up to "Real Housewives" creator Andy Cohen about their relationship on the "RHOA" reunion special. She told the show's host, as well as her co-stars, that she was afraid of her husband. Phaedra's claims followed scenes in the show in which she and her children were shown staying in various hotels to avoid running into Apollo. During the season she even went as far as to change the locks to every door of the home they once shared to avoid him returning home. At the time she told Cohen she had not yet made a decision about her marriage to Apollo, adding that she needed "time to make the appropriate decision."

Apollo is currently serving eight years in a federal prison for identity theft and fraud. He was sentenced in Atlanta in July 2014. At the time he was facing up to 30 years behind bars. He entered prison two months after receiving his sentence.