Craig Conover (left), Paige DeSorbo (right). Photo:
Tibrina Hobson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty; Rich Polk/Bravo via Getty
Weeks before Paige DeSorbo announced they’d called it quits, she was planning her future with Craig Conover.
The Southern Charm star, 35, spoke to PEOPLE in early December about his decision to quit drinking — a move motivated by a desire to “become more of a husband and father material” for DeSorbo’s benefit — and was open about his plans to marry the Summer House star before she confirmed on Dec. 30 they’d broken up.
“We’re playing the long game. It would be easy to go for instant gratification, but the foundation that we’re building is so that we die together one day, not just make it fun,” he said of DeSorbo, 32, who he began dating in 2021.
He continued, “We know we’re going to get married one day, and when it happens, it’ll be a lot of fun, but whenever that is, who knows?”
“Once you take yourself out of that pressure cooker and have some perspective and travel, life’s a little more simple. There’s no reason to put pressure on it. I think people will have a lot more of our lives to watch because we’re taking our time than if we were to rush it.”
Paige DeSorbo and Craig Conover try some of Panera’s new menu items at a launch event. Sara Jaye/Getty
He was also open about their efforts to be “healthier than a lot of other couples that you see on your TV” when it came to their relationship, which played out onscreen on Southern Charm, Summer House and Winter House, where they’d transitioned from a friendship to a romantic relationship.
“When people ask about me and Paige, Paige says it well, she’s like, ‘I get it. When I watch TV shows, I feel like I want to know that I’m a part of it,’” he said. “We share our lives with everyone, but there’s a lot of noise.”
Looking to the future, Conover said he was “committed to doing what it takes to make it work” with DeSorbo.
“We really don’t know what that looks like. We’ve got a couple years probably until we start having kids, and then we’ll have to figure it out. But I’ve really taken this normal role now of being a happy wife, happy life,” he said.
He also addressed their status as a long-distance couple, as he lives in Charleston while she lives in New York City.
“The goal is when we do start to have kids, we’ll be able to stay home with them as much as possible,” he shared. “We had to make the decision: do we go live a traditional life with someone that’s not each other and I find someone in Charleston or not? We decided finding your person is the hard part and then we’ll figure it out after.”
Craig Conover, Paige DeSorbo at ‘Watch What Happens Live’. Charles Sykes/Getty
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
DeSorbo announced that she and Conover had gone their separate ways on a Dec. 30 episode of her podcast, Giggly Squad. She said she “wasn’t expecting” the split as she called him “definitely the best boyfriend I’ve ever had,” but affirmed that there was no bad blood between them.
“I have so much love and respect for Craig. I think he is one of the best people I have ever met in my entire life. I will remain the biggest fan of him and want the best for him and he truly will get the best because he is the best.” she said. “But with that said, I think it was just the right decision for both of us moving forward in our lives and the direction in our lives that we didn’t force.”
“I love him, I think he loves me,” she added. “I think we will remain friends. No one did anything. It wasn’t a bad thing. I think we both were just being really mature and saying what we want and what we didn’t want, and I think that’s extremely powerful to be able to voice how you’re feeling in real-time and what you want for your future.”
