Paige DeSorbo reflected on her past relationships after announcing her breakup from Craig Conover, revealing that she was in an abusive relationship more than a decade ago.
“I probably got my most insecure when I was 19 or 20. I dated a really physically and mentally abusive man, and it changed my whole course of dating in my 20s,” DeSorbo, 32, shared during the Monday, December 30, episode of her “Giggly Squad” podcast. “I don’t even know if I’ve ever even said that on the pod, that I was in an abusive relationship before, but I feel like if I’m going to say it, this is the episode I would say it because I know for a fact, a ton of other girls have been in them too.”
DeSorbo acknowledged it was “a very weird time” in her life, explaining that she was “fully brainwashed” by her ex.
“I was 19, I was 20 years old, I couldn’t even legally drink. It really did change a lot of how I looked at relationships. I’d never been exposed to that ever. I never thought that that could be me.”
Paige DeSorbo Denies Bravo Told Her When to Announce Craig Conover Split
Looking back, the Summer House star admitted that she used to be “very ashamed” of the relationship — but not anymore.
“I’m not ashamed of it at all because I’m really proud of myself on how I handled it and how I handled it afterward,” DeSorbo said. “I’m proud of myself on talking about it and letting girls know it can literally happen to anyone.”
Being in this type of relationship further impacted what she wants in a partner.
“I looked for chaos, and I looked for pure adrenaline and emotion,” she said. “I was like, this is so fun, and this is so crazy. I would get out of one bad relationship and get into a slightly better one, but by standards, very bad.”
DeSorbo explained that this was the “pattern” she had with dating until age 26. At that time, she had a “normal” relationship but still called it off. The Bravo star met Conover, 35, when they filmed Winter House season 1 in February 2021 and they started dating a few months later.
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“When I got out of my previous relationship and I was single and I met Craig, I was like, I finally figured it out,” she recalled. “I’m gonna be with someone that loves the f— out of me. This is all happening the way it’s supposed to be.”
DeSorbo and Conover dated for three years before she announced their split during the same podcast episode. The Summer House star made it clear that there was no drama leading to their breakup, they just wanted different things.
“You will not hear me say a bad thing about Craig,” DeSorbo stated. “I have nothing bad to say about him.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
