Craig Conover said his breakup with Paige DeSorbo was similar to another reality TV split.
On February 6, the “Southern Charm” veteran appeared on “Watch What Happens Live” and compared his split from DeSorbo to the recent breakup between “Bachelor” star Matt James and his longtime girlfriend Rachael Kirkconnell. The Sewing Down South founder addressed chatter about him and Kirkconnell, a Georgia native who received James’ final rose on his season of the ABC dating show in 2021.
Conover told host Andy Cohen that he knows James and Kirkconnell. He also squashed speculation that he’d make a good match with the newly single Bachelor Nation beauty.
“We went to a wedding with them this summer and it kind of ruined any … so we’re friends with them,” Conover said of the former couple. “But I thought it was very bizarre how their stuff played out … It seemed like we were both blindsided. I never even used that word, but that’s the definition of what happened. Out of nowhere, [Paige] called me and broke up with me after three years.”
DeSorbo announced her breakup from Conover on the December 30 episode of her “Giggly Squad” podcast. She claimed the split was a mutual decision after three years together.
On WWHL, Conover said the split was not mutual, but that DeSorbo ultimately didn’t want the same things in life that he did, such as an engagement. He also said he was “very shocked” by the breakup when he initially addressed fans in a video posted to his Instagram story on January 7.
Kirkconnell’s situation was similar. On January 16, James shared a now-deleted Instagram post to announce he and his longtime girlfriend had parted ways.
Kirkconnell appeared the January 28 episode of of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast and claimed she was blindsided by James after he admitted he could never see himself marrying her.
Craig Conover’s Co-Star Taylor Ann Green Thinks He Should Date Kirkconnell
GettyConover’s comments about Kirkconnell came after his “Southern Charm” co-star Taylor Ann Green weighed in on his new status as a bachelor. Green told Us Weekly that she thought Kirkconnell, 28, would be a great match for Conover, 36.
“Now that I could see happening,’” Green told the outlet of the pairing. “She (Rachael) is adorable, she seems like she’s ready to settle down.”
“She probably would look at Craig’s house and be like, ‘Take me in. Sweep me off my feet. I will say yes tomorrow,’” Green gushed.
Craig Conover is Looking for Love on Raya
While his friendship with James complicates a romance with Kirkconnell, Conover revealed that he did join the dating app Raya. He told Cohen on WWHL that he “needed validation” after being dumped by DeSorbo. “But it didn’t feel as good as I thought,” he added of the attention he had received on the dating app.
After Cohen noted that Conover’s Instagram DMs must be “absolutely bonkers,” Conover replied, “Yeah, but I’m actually sad about the breakup.”
“It’s funny because, yes, the DMs — ever since the Raya thing, people are like, ‘Well, if you’re dating, I’m coming in here,’’ he said. “But I got thousands of messages from people who got broken up with during the holidays too. We are all so much more similar than we think.”
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Craig Conover Compares Paige DeSorbo Split to ‘Bachelor’ Breakup