Shannon Beador doesn’t want anything to do with Alexis Bellino or John Janssen.
“There were other reasons, John, aside, that I don’t want to pursue a friendship with [Alexis],” Beador, 60, exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month while discussing the new season of Real Housewives of Orange County. “There’s the clip of her going, ‘You’re not going to win my man’ or something. It’s like, I’m not in the competition. Enjoy!”
Beador and Janssen dated off and on from 2019 to 2023. The exes called it quits for good in June 2023. Five months after Before and Janssen’s split, he and Bellino, 47, sparked romance rumors. The pair were spotted together at an event and denied dating at the time, but later made things Instagram official in December 2023.
“I don’t know what’s in John’s head because the last conversation I had with him, he said, ‘I am breaking ties with you because you’ve ruined my life and my family’s by being so public,’” Beador recalled. “And six weeks later, he is doing Oscar parties and red carpet interviews. OK, Mr. Private.”
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Beador said that the phone exchange was the last time she had spoken to Janssen. While Beador was initially hurt by Bellino and Janssen’s romance, she’s now relieved that part of her life is done.
“John broke up with me after three and a half years. It was quite public, and for six months he dated someone. I dated someone, but we did reconnect and neither of us admitted it,” she shared. “I think we both knew deep down it was never going to work, but we did care about each other. And so for another six months, we were back together acting like we were boyfriend and girlfriend …I am glad that we’re not together anymore and maybe something like this had to happen in order for me to break ties.”
While Beador and Janssen have a lot of history, so do Beador and Bellino. Alexis’ ex-husband, Jim Bellino, filed a million-dollar defamation lawsuit against Beador and costar Tamra Judge in 2018. Jim claimed that the women made inappropriate comments about his business and divorce during a joint appearance on Heather McDonald’s “Juicy Scoop” podcast. Both Housewives asserted that the comments were not made with malicious intent. Beador was subsequently dropped from the lawsuit in 2019. Judge and Jim reached an undisclosed settlement in 2021.
“When I was in the middle of my lawsuit, which was really stressful for me. We were together,” she said of Janssen being by her side for the legal issue “So he knew that. And when I told him about the case, Alexis started it by sending a letter to Tamra.”
Although they’ve had conflict in the past, Beador now wants to keep to herself and avoid any more tension with Alexis and Janssen.
“I don’t want any part of [their relationship] … and I wanted that to be clear,” Beador told Us. “Because if I were to even have pulled her aside to say, ‘OK. And really? You’re dating my ex-boyfriend.’ Then it looks like I am wanting him back. The lawsuit is enough for me.”
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In addition to her drama with Alexis and Janssen, Beador also faced some legal issues herself. In September 2023, she was arrested for a hit-and-run and a DUI. Following her arrest, Beador was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to complete a nine-month alcohol program. The reality star told Usthat the incident has caused her to reflect on how to better herself.
“I’ve done a lot and I still have more to do,” she explained. “I work with my therapist, and I have a psychiatrist from the program that I went to for 30 days. And I feel as though I’m growing. I’m headed down a healthier path, and I’m trying to create any type of positive thing that I can out of a horrible situation.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
