Vicki Gunvalson and Steve Lodge’s breakup timeline is hazy, but the Real Housewives of Orange County star announced it publicly in September of last year.
Just a few months later, Steve (who ran for governor in California) announced his engagement to another woman.
In an interview with Page Six, Vicki revealed details about the breakup. “I will give him the credit for stating we broke up… but when you break up with somebody, you don’t continue to sleep in their bed and you don’t continue to live with them. So, that was my bad that I didn’t take it at face value because I didn’t want to break up.”
The Bravo star doubled down on her claim that he cheated on her. “That’s the facts,” she said. “If he states he didn’t cheat on me, then why did you continue to live with me? That’s my question to him. Why did you lead me to believe we were going to be OK? Because I was in it for life.”
She went on to say, “He obviously fell out of love with me, and I guess I didn’t want to believe it to be true because we didn’t fight… We didn’t have issues other than the fact I was leaning back, not trusting him. And there was a valid point. Why? Because obviously, he had somebody on the sly. So I don’t know what to say other than the facts.”
When Vicki left to film Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip season two, she had “no idea he was already planning on moving out… I had no idea there was another woman. He was home with me every single night.” Vicki said he sent her a text on September 23, letting her know he’d moved in with his mother.
The Housewife also revealed she’s dating again using a matchmaker. One of the suitors noticed she was still heartbroken.
“Last night, he’s like, ‘So you’re not over Steve yet…’ I said, ‘I’m telling you it’s going to take a while and I’m not using you as a therapist, but I need you to know where my heart is.’”
“I journal a lot,” she continued. “I’m looking at selling my new house and maybe going to the beach. I’m buying a new house in Puerto Vallarta, and there’s a lot that I’m doing that I probably wasn’t going to be doing if I was with a partner [like] growing my business. Things are good, but I’m a partner person.”
On Saturday, the 59-year-old celebrated this new chapter at a strip club in Las Vegas.
At the time, Vicki told E! News, “I am good. I turned the page… I am looking forward to the last third of my life, whatever that may be and I am just trying to carry on.”
“The fact that Steve is already engaged, I don’t even want to mention his name,” she continued. “I don’t know how you do that. Three months after you break up [with] someone, you’re already engaged to somebody else. That, to me, is so crazy. There is no way I am ready to be engaged again! So to me, that’s just bizarre.”
She also told the outlet she’s dating “casually, two men.” One is living in Chicago while the other is in California. All she desires is “a life partner that won’t hurt me.”
In order to find a match, Vicki “would love to do a dating show because I don’t trust my judgement! I’m a bad picker, I am realizing that… You tell me you love me, protect me, be all about me, adore me, don’t lie to me, don’t cheat, don’t steal, just love me. And I am a handful! But I am a lover, when I love I love through and through.”