Real Housewives of Orange County alum Vicki Gunvalson doesn’t seem to be too phased by ex Steve Lodge‘s engagement news. Just hours after PEOPLE revealed that Vicki’s former fiance had gotten engaged again — just three months after their split — she reacted by throwing some shade his way.
“He’s a fame whore and is all about staying relevant,” Vicki told Us Weekly on January 3, shortly after learning the news. She also said that she is in “no rush to start dating” right now. “I’ve gone out with some friends, but have no desire to do what he’s doing. Marriage is a sacred thing.”
Earlier in the day, Steve, 63, told Us Weekly that he plans on marrying his new fiancee — Janis Carlson, 37 — in April. “We are completely head over heels in love and can’t wait to be husband and wife. Janis is a beautiful person, inside and out.” He continued, “We have incredible chemistry, we’re very compatible, emotionally connected and have mutual respect for each other. We are equally yoked and look forward to happiness.”
He also told PEOPLE, “I did ask Janis on December 20th if she would become Mrs. Steve Chavez Lodge, and she happily agreed. We will be married in April 2022. We are both very excited, incredibly happy, totally in love and look forward to our life together.”
As RHOC fans should recall, Vicki and Steve parted ways in September 2021, after a two-year engagement. She claimed he cheated, and he denied the accusation.
Following Steve’s big reveal on Jan. 3, Vicki’s former co-star Tamra Judge and Real Housewives executive producer Andy Cohen came to her defense. Andy said he hopes Vicki will find love in 2022. “If @vgunvalson doesn’t find a GREAT guy this year, it won’t be a good year,” Andy, 53, tweeted on Monday. “She deserves it. #FullLoveTankForVG.”
Tamra, on the other hand, took to her Instagram Story to say that the Coto Insurance CEO “dodged the lodge.”