is trying to live in the now after his split from , a source exclusively tells Us Weekly.
“Craig has been in good spirits since his split from Paige was announced,” the insider says, noting that the Southern Charm star “has a lot of friends rallying around him.”
While Conover, 35, is “internally upset” over the breakup, he “put on a brave face” during his New Year’s Eve festivities and “had a lot of fun,” per the source.
“He spent the last few days in Aspen, [Colorado], trying to get his mind off of things,” the insider adds, sharing that for now, Conover is “trying to be around positive and fun people.”
Outside of spending time with his inner circle, the Sewing Down South founder is “really focused on his businesses and that is keeping him busy,” the source explains.
Conover currently runs two Sewing Down South locations — one in Charleston and one in Nashville — in addition to working on Southern Charm, cohosting the “Pillows & Beer” podcast and opening By The Way restaurant with pal in late 2024.
The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster for Conover, who recently shut down speculation that he and DeSorbo had split. “I don’t know where that came from, because we’re together, like, every week,” Conover told E! News at the time, confirming that he and the Summer House star, 32, were “not broken up.”
Shortly after celebrating Christmas with their respective families, DeSorbo announced on Monday, December 30, that she and Conover had parted ways after three years of dating.
“Craig and I have decided to no longer be together,” DeSorbo explained during her and ’s “Giggly Squad” podcast. “I love him, I think he loves me. I think we will remain friends.”
She insisted, “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.”
Us confirmed at the time that Conover and DeSorbo’s different views on their future — Conover has voiced in the past that he wants kids and to get married, while DeSorbo said she wasn’t in any rush to do either — was part of what led them to separate.
“Craig was ready for the next steps and had plans to propose to Paige. He was really pushing for the next steps and wanted to settle down with her,” an separate insider exclusively told Us on Tuesday, December 31, explaining that the pair’s physical distance was making that next step even harder to make happen.
DeSorbo, who resides in New York City, didn’t want to move to Charleston, where Conover lives, according to the source. “Logistically it was never going to work out long term,” the insider explained.
While the source noted that “many of their friends are not shocked” by the breakup, “Everyone is sad for them.”
The split is still fresh for the Bravo personalities who got close after filming season 1 of Winter House in early 2021. They began dating that summer and fans got glimpses at their romance on both Southern Charm and Summer House over the past three years.
When it comes to next steps for Conover, the first insider tells Us that he and DeSorbo “haven’t cut all communication off yet.”
The former couple are handling the split “maturely,” the source says, noting that Conover “has said he definitely misses her” and it’s been “a hard transition emotionally so far.”
With reporting by Amanda Williams
