Naomie Olindo and Craig Conover.Photo: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty / Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage
Southern CharmstarsNaomie OlindoandCraig Conover’s post-breakup hookup was more about closing doors than opening them.
The former coupleshocked fans in the trailer for the new season when they revealed that they had a recent rendezvousafter Olindo returned to Charleston in the wake of hersplitfromMetul Shah. But speaking to PEOPLE ahead of Thursday’s premiere, Olindo makes it clear that reviving her relationship with Conover was never on the table.
“Neither one of us ever thought we would get back together,” says Olindo, 29. “This happened a year ago now and it was sort of a one or two-off situation where you just know each other and you’re comfortable around each other and you have some fun.”
“It was almost like, a bit of closure at the same time, because we had been together for so long and now we finally had a friendship again now that so much time had passed,” she says. “But really, it was nothing more than that.”
Craig Conover Instagram
Olindo and Conoverdated for nearly three yearsbefore splitting up in September 2017. And while their surprise hookup became a hot topic onSouthern Charm, Olindo says she never expected anyone would care.
“I didn’t realize it was going to be such a big deal,” she explains. “I’d been gone for the show in a year and I kind of thought at first I was going to be able to come back and it would fly under the radar and nobody would know. But, it turns out with our group of friends, nothing really works like that. So yeah… what happens in Vegas was discusseda lot.”
Conover, 33, is currently dating fellow Bravo starPaige DeSorbo, 29.
The pair got closer while filmingWinter House, when Conover was in another relationship that ended shortly after filming for the 2021Summer Housespin-off, and theGiggly Squadhost’s uncertainly about her developing relationship with Conover was documented on the latest season ofSummer House.
That said, since Conover and DeSorbo hadn’t defined their relationship at the time he hooked up with Olindo, was it awkward once they officially became a couple?
“Yeah!” Olindo says with a laugh. “You’ll see us navigate that a good bit because it was kind of hard to figure out, ‘Okay, what are the boundaries? How can I remain respectful to them, but still be in the same friend group?’ It was kind of hard to figure out what everyone’s comfortable with.”
Charles Sykes/Getty
That doesn’t mean Olindo isn’t all for Conover and DeSorbo’s pairing. “They’re great together,” Olindo says. “I’m super-supportive of him, super-supportive of her. They’re really happy and it’s nice to see.”
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“Anytime anyone finds something they’re truly passionate about and it can bring them success and a sense of purpose and a good sense of self, I think it’s wonderful,” says Olindo, who has her own clothing businessL’ABEYE. “I’m really happy for him. I love to see. We’ve talked about our businesses together, which helped us bond in a new way. It’s great to see him thriving in that way.”
PHOTO: BravoPHOTO: Stephanie Diani/Bravo
Olindo is dating now, though she tells PEOPLE nothing is serious. And though her breakup with Shah was hard, she says she’s glad the split brought her back to Charleston and back toSouthern Charm.
“It’s really the best thing that could have happened, I just didn’t know it at the time,” Olindo says. “In hindsight I’m like, ‘Oh, thank goodness,’ because I didn’t realize that it wasn’t a good relationship. I just thought everything was fine. But I’m really thankful because it really was the best thing that could have happened.”
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Season 8 ofSouthern Charmpremieres Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.
source: people.com
