Heidi Montag Says She Needs Time Away from Spencer Pratt

The other day, unnamed sources were telling the media that Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt were really separated and were not just orchestrating some kind of publicity stunt. The same spies said divorce was not yet on the table, which Heidi herself confirms in an interview with People magazine, the first she’s given since word got out of the split at the end of last week.

Though she was initially said to have been “blindsided” by the fact that news of the separation ended up on TMZ before she had the time to better sort things out (which could be code for before she had the time to get paid for an interview with the revelation, several bloggers point out), Heidi is now speaking out. She and Spencer simply need a bit of time off from each other so that each sees where their life is going. She also wants to focus more on her career, Heidi seems to imply.

“I needed some alone time,” the 23-year-old reality star says for People, thus confirming that she’s moved out of the marital home and into a place she’ll be sharing with a female friend. “There are so many lies out there about me and I just needed space – even away from my husband. I had to get away from the lies my family and supposed friends are saying about me. It’s time to concentrate on myself,” Montag adds. In other words, she’s looking to launch her acting career outside of “The Hills.”

“Montag plans to spend the summer clearing her head and getting in some much need girl time with pal and new roommate Jen Bunney, which will be captured on film as they will be shooting their own reality show. Montag is also working on writing a movie script. As for the future of Speidi, it’s a work in progress. ‘I’ve always loved Spencer,’ says Montag, ‘but right now we’re working on things’,” People writes, citing Heidi.

While Montag seems to be on damage control mode, word in the industry has it that the real reason for the separation is a combination of Pratt’s controlling ways and Heidi’s desire to get more media attention in preparation for the launch of her new reality show.