Craig Conover says his Las Vegas hookup with ex-girlfriend Naomie Olindo gave him “closure” he didn’t know he needed.
While the Southern Charm cast member was regretful about putting his current girlfriend, Paige DeSorbo, in a position where she was forced to cope with the reveal as the two of them spent extended time with Naomie amid filming on season eight, Craig admitted that his rendezvous with Naomie actually helped him move on.
“I’ve said it’s [the] closure that I didn’t realize that I needed,” Craig explained to Us Weekly on June 21. “As tough as this is to say about some things, I’m happy that it happened. It was just closure that I was able to be, like, ‘You know what? I can finally see what I want for my future and life.’”
After Craig and Naomie split in September 2017 following three years of dating, he moved on with Natalie Hegnauer, and Naomie moved to New York City with Metul Shah. However, after those relationships reached their ends in April 2021 and July 2021, respectively, the former couple found themselves together in Las Vegas. And while Craig was dating Paige at the time, they didn’t make their romance official until later that year.
Earlier this week, while promoting the new season of Southern Charm, Naomie said her hookup with Craig was nothing more than a “temporary comfort,” and Craig agrees.
“We had a long history together, you know, we knew just because we hadn’t talked in four years, we still dated for three,” he explained. “So, I think she had gotten her world turned upside down — finding out [Metul] was cheating on her was terrible. I think temporary comfort’s a good word for it. It was good for her and it was the closure I needed.”
“It was the relationship that most people have to have in their twenties. You think you found your person and it doesn’t work out. And then after that, you live a lot and that’s what we needed,” Craig continued. “For the first time in my life, I was with someone that was like, my first love, basically. And I’m like, ‘Oh, this is gonna work.’ And then you realize that there’s a lot more to a relationship than just [that feeling].”
Looking back at the time he spent with Naomie in 2021, Craig said he believes that “everything happens the way it’s supposed to,” but he noted that he felt bad that Paige had to deal with the drama.
“It’s a tough situation for anyone to be in. I really do applaud her for that,” Craig shared. “You know, I hate that I put her in that position. But she handled it great.”
“She didn’t expect that she’d have to hang out with” Naomie as much as they have in recent months, Craig added, “but I think she handled it well.”
Craig went on to say that as season eight plays out, fans will watch as he becomes “more combative” about the relationships as new details are shared.
“Moving back to Charleston’s one thing and us welcoming you in. But [more things happen when] she’s around … as the season goes on,” he teased of Naomie’s return.
Southern Charm season eight premiered on Thursday, June 23, at 9/8c on Bravo.