Leva Bonaparte Says Paige DeSorbo Was MIA 1 Month Before Craig Split

Leva Bonaparte admits it’s been hard watching Craig Conover’s relationship with now-ex Paige DeSorbo play out on season 10 of Southern Charm — but says their breakup didn’t catch her by surprise.

“I think [it was] a month leading up before the breakup that we didn’t see her at the restaurant opening,” Bonaparte, 45, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, February 5, referring to Conover, 35, and Austen Kroll’s By the Way bar opening in Charleston that took place in early December 2024.

The Southern Charm star revealed, “We didn’t see her at the [show] premiere. We didn’t see her at a lot of places.”

Bonaparte said that DeSorbo’s continued absences raised a red flag. “I was just like, ‘Oh, weird.’ It’s weird that she wouldn’t have — we were even in New York [for] our premiere. She wasn’t there,” she told Us. “I was like, something’s … off.”

The Bravo personality, who stars on both Southern Charm and Southern Hospitality, noted that while she was concerned about DeSorbo, 32, being MIA, Conover downplayed it.

“Craig is so guarded that, [he’s like], ‘Hey, hey, guys. Yeah, she’s working.’ So we’re just like, ‘OK,’” Bonaparte recalled. “Also, kudos to her. She’s working. I’m not going to hate on that. You know what I mean? Good for her. She’s a really independent, ambitious girl.”

Southern Charm’s season 10 premiere party took place in New York City in early December 2024. The cast was back together a week later for the friends and family celebration of By the Way ahead of its grand opening on December 12, 2024.

Bonaparte wasn’t the only one who realized that DeSorbo was noticeably absent from both events. Rumors surfaced around that time that Conover and DeSorbo had parted ways, but Conover told E! News on December 9, 2024, that “Paige and I are not broken up. We’re still together.”

Weeks later, DeSorbo announced her and Conover’s split during the December 30, 2024, episode of her “Giggly Squad” podcast.

“I love him, I think he loves me. I think we will remain friends. No one did anything. It wasn’t a bad thing,” the Summer House star explained to her listeners. “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.”

Conover broke his silence over the split in early January, claiming the breakup was “very unexpected” and he was “very shocked.”

He said the pair called it quits “right before the holidays,” adding, “It takes two people to be in a relationship and you can’t control other people, you can only control how you react to it.”

In the month that followed, DeSorbo was accused of cheating on Conover and was linked to comedian Marcello Hernandez and a mystery man from a Philadelphia Eagles game. DeSorbo initially laughed off the romance rumors, but earlier this week she decided to publicly shut down any and all cheating allegations.

“Let me say this here and now: I did not move on with some new guy. I’m single. I don’t have a new boyfriend. I did not cheat — not on my ex-boyfriend,” DeSorbo claimed on the Monday, February 3, episode of her “Giggly Squad” podcast.

She also clarified her and Conover’s breakup timeline, revealing she broke up with the Sewing Down South founder over Thanksgiving weekend in November 2024.

DeSorbo said she agreed not to publicly announce the split until Conover was ready and alleged that he chose to do press for Southern Charm in December 2024 “acting as if we were still together.”

Once she saw Conover on a trip after Christmas “presenting himself as single” she said she texted him to say now would be the time to tell their fans about the split. DeSorbo claimed Conover left the text “unanswered,” so she made the announcement herself.

Bonaparte exclusively told Us on Wednesday that she wishes Conover had handled his announcement better — especially since DeSorbo was “neutral” when she shared the news.

“I think that when he made his post, it kind of opened a door for people to question,” Bonaparte said of Conover, noting, “Maybe there’s more to it, I don’t know. I just think if you don’t want people in your business and keep ’em out of your business, don’t give the gray.”

She also explained that no one should be “Team Craig” or “Team Paige.” Instead, fans should “normalize” the fact that breakups are “complicated.”

“At the end of the day, only they know why [it happened],” Bonaparte continued. “We have to normalize girls not also getting married — allowing girls to change their mind. What the f—? We are allowed to change our minds. It’s not like we’re just cattle to be [herded].”

Bonaparte took up for DeSorbo, saying that her back-and-forth on wanting marriage and a family with Conover — which has been evident on Southern Charm and Summer House — is not something to disparage.

“I am not in the business of vilifying a woman [for] changing her mind before she walks down the aisle. We are allowed to have the freedom to do that,” she concluded.

Southern Charm airs on Bravo Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET, followed by Southern Hospitality at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Peacock.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi