Entertainment TV Christine Brown Says 'Sister Wives' ' Janelle Was 'Supportive from the Get-Go' of Her Choice to Leave Polygamy Nearly a year after leaving behind her 26-year plural marriage to Kody Brown, the TLC star opens about her relationship with his wives Meri, Janelle and Robyn By Emily Strohm Emily Strohm Emily Strohm is a Senior Editor at PEOPLE. She has been at PEOPLE for 11 years and has written nearly 40 cover stories for the magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 29, 2022 02:28PM EDT One of Christine Brown's former Sister Wives is in her corner. The TLC star — who was in 26-year plural marriage to husband Kody Brown and his three wives, Meri, Janelle and Robyn — is opening up about her relationship with the women after leaving polygamy and her fundamentalist Mormon faith behind. "Janelle and I are really good friends," Christine tells PEOPLE. "She's been supportive from the get-go." Janelle Brown/Instagram For years before she announced their split in November 2021, Christine says her marriage to Kody was strained. "I needed more communication, more trust, and I realized we didn't really have a partnership," she shares. Everything Sister Wives Star Christine Brown Has Said About Her Relationship Issues with Ex Kody Ultimately, she decided the relationship was unsalvageable and left polygamy altogether. "When I told Meri, Robyn, and Janelle, Janelle actually cried," says Christine. "That was so hard. It was not only am I deciding to leave Kody, I was leaving them as well." Sister Wives. TLC Still, she adds their relationship had changed over the years. "I hadn't been that close to Robyn, I hadn't been that close to Meri, for years. As soon as I told everybody, [Janelle] was the only person who talked to me afterwards. I didn't even talk to Robyn or Meri after that. The next time I talked to them was Isabelle's graduation party and then when I told them I was moving, that's the only contact I've had with them." Sister Wives' Christine Brown on Dating and Life After Leaving Polygamy: 'I Get to Live Life for Me' Since their split Christine has settled into her new life in Salt Lake City, Utah, and launched her solo digital series Cooking with Just Christine for TLC in February (season 2 premieres Sept. 11). "Janelle and I have stayed close through the whole thing," says Christine, who recently celebrated her 50th birthday with a themed party that Janelle attended. "She's wonderful." Christine Brown. Kim Raff Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Season 17 of Sister Wives premieres Sept. 11 at 10 p.m. ET on TLC