Paige DeSorbo’s announcement in June that she was leaving Summer House after seven years may have come as a surprise to some Bravo fans, but according to the show’s resident bed aficionado, it was time to walk away.
“I just had this overwhelming sense that I couldn’t go back,” Paige revealed in a new interview with Byrdie. “I know I would’ve been doing a disservice to [the show]. They expect a certain level of showing up and I couldn’t give them that.”
As The Ashley told you in December, Paige revealed that she and Southern Charm star Craig Conover had “decided to no longer be together” after three years of dating, later claiming that the two had actually called it off around Thanksgiving– just weeks before Craig told People that he and Paige were “playing the long time” and eventually planning to tie the knot.
While Paige’s ‘Summer House’ exit happened to come on the heels of her break up with Craig, she claims that her decision to leave reality TV still wasn’t an easy one.
“I definitely had to get over the [feeling] that my career would be over,” she said. “There’s an element of thinking you need that show and network … .”
Paige has co-hosted the Giggly Squad podcast with friend and former ‘Summer House’ cast member Hannah Berner for years. Since announcing her ‘Summer House’ departure, she also launched her own loungewear line, Daphne. According to Byrdie, fans may also see her make an appearance in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” as the 33-year-old was photographed on-set of the film earlier this year.
While Paige has been keeping her schedule quite busy in recent months, she claims the pressure is nothing compared to being a cast member on ‘Summer House’– or reality TV in general, for that matter.
“Being on reality TV, there’s a level– this is a harsh word– of, like, brainwashing,” she said. “That’s not real life. You’re not stopping people on the street and being like, ‘I just had a thought that I hate my boyfriend.’”
Speaking of boyfriends, as The Ashley previously told you, it was reported in July that Paige had been “quietly dating Joe D’Amelio for a while” and things between the two were “going really well.”
“It took a few months for Paige to warm up to being in another relationship again, but she moved on after Craig and is genuinely happy,” a source told Us Weekly. “She’s in a totally different headspace now. Joe is a breath of fresh air for her. He’s calm, grounded and much more low-key, which is exactly what Paige needed.”
The source also claimed at the time that Joe had already met and received the approval of Paige’s family.
“It’s a different kind of relationship and Paige is embracing that,” the source added. “She’s having a lot of fun. Friends have seen a different side of Paige and can tell she is really happy right now.”
RELATED STORY: ‘Summer House’ Star Paige DeSorbo Reportedly “Really Happy” with New Boyfriend Joe D’Amelio Following Split from Craig Conover
(Photos: Instagram; Bravo)
