Would you leave your husband for a year?

Kelsey and Camille at the Tony Awards, right before it got ugly. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty …
Last night's premiere of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" introduced us to a new carnival of complicated relationships. Not the least was between Camille, and her husband, "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer. In the season opener, Kelsey is packing for a trip to New York...for a year. He's starring in the Broadway musical, La Cage Aux Folles, and Camille is staying in L.A. to care for the kids and (implicitly) film this series.

They kiss goodbye. She watches his car drive off. And in a matter of months, they're divorcing. According to Camille, the last straw was when her husband didn't call his kids on Father's Day. Grammer denies that accusation, but he doesn't deny taking comfort in New York with a flight attendant with whom he now makes a home.

It's all very Hollywood, or rather Beverly Hills. Or is it commonplace when you separate from your spouse for one whole year? Maybe there were underlying issues in their relationship, but weathering 12 months apart is no small feat. It takes a rock solid relationship to stay emotionally connected, and devoid of resentment.

But the year gap is something a lot of couples are forced to do, especially in unsteady economic times. For multi-millionaire Kelsey, it wasn't about the money; it was about the opportunity to dance and sing on stage with a bunch of men in drag. (Huh?) But for other couples it is about finances. If an oversees job is needed to help support the family, it could end up a choice you have to make. But are the rewards worth the risk?