Entertainment TV Phaedra Parks Says She's 'Single and Satisfied' After Finalizing Apollo Nida Divorce (Exclusive) The 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' alum, who finalized her divorce in 2017, said she's currently dating but doesn't need a man to complete her By Esther Kang Esther Kang Esther Kang is a writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023 and has previously worked for publications like TMZ and TooFab. People Editorial Guidelines and Abby Stern Abby Stern Abby Stern is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She’s been writing about entertainment, fashion, beauty, and other lifestyle content for over fifteen years. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 26, 2024 04:37PM EDT Close Phaedra Parks (left) and Apollo Nida. Photo: Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty; Paras Griffin/Getty Pharedra Parks is glad to have her divorce from Apollo Nida over and done with. While exclusively speaking to PEOPLE at an opening for Beverly Hills Rejuvenation, the former Real Housewives of Atlanta star opens up about the "peace" she's recently felt now that her divorce and her days holding a peach on the Bravo show are behind her. "I think you can be aged by your surroundings," she says, explaining her newfound glow. "Being on terrible shows with terrible women, being in terrible marriages that will age you. So once I got off a terrible show and got out of a terrible marriage and had my wonderful children ... I could focus on myself and not all the bulls---." (L) Phaedra Parks and Apollo Nida. Getty Images Phaedra Parks Has Three Rules for Raising Her Sons: ‘Be Respectful, Clean Up and Be Grateful' Though her marriage to Nida didn't work out, Parks revealed that she and her ex were on good terms now and she was stepping her toe back into the dating field. "I'm dating," she shares, before clarifying, "The thing is I'm single and satisfied. I'm not one of those women that thinks that their life depends on a man." "I'm really that girl," Parks quips. "So I'm like the whole red velvet cake. A man can be icing, but red velvet is good by yourself." Phaedra Parks. Paras Griffin/Getty Images Phaedra Parks Denies Rumors of a 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' Return: 'That's Not What I Want to Do' Parks, 50, and Nida, 45, married in 2009 and were introduced to Bravo audiences in season 3 of RHOA, when she joined the cast as a Housewife. But in 2014, Nida pled guilty to a conspiracy to commit mail fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud and identity theft. He was ordered to pay $1.9 million in restitution and began serving an eight-year prison sentence. Parks filed for divorce in 2015, not long after Nida returned behind bars. Their divorce was finalized in July 2017. Since then, Parks has dated casually, but she's mostly kept her romances away from the private eye. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In February, PEOPLE exclusively confirmed that both Parks and Nida would be reuniting for the first time on camera in season 10 of Married to Medicine. Parks' costars Dr. Jackie Walters, Dr. Simone Whitmore, Toya Bush-Harris, Dr. Heavenly Kimes, Quad Webb, Lateasha Lunceford and Dr. Alicia Egolum were all kept in the dark about Nida's appearance, and were shocked when he showed up at the taping in January in New York City, a source told PEOPLE.