The Southern Charm Season 11 cast trip to Mexico marked a major turning point in Charley Manley and Craig Conover’s romance.
After Charley realized during Episode 14 that she was no longer interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with Craig, she had even more to say on the matter on the Southern Charm After Show.
“I’m thankful that I had a friendship with Craig before trying to explore anything romantically,” Charley explained. “And I’m confident that, you know, me pumping the brakes on us romantically is not ruining our friendship. It was just very obvious to me in that moment that … this is not, like, someone that I want to be, like, romantically involved with right now.”
RELATED: Charley Manley Reveals Her Red Flag About Craig Conover: “I’m Not Gonna Sugarcoat It…”
Charley’s decision to end things with Craig followed her witnessing his treatment of Salley Carson in the back of a van during a ride back to their resort in Puerto Vallarta.
“I was already so I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know, and then it was like OK, now I know,” Charley added. “But as a friend, I, like, wanted to be there for him, too. Like, what’s goin’ on, man? … I feel like there’s, like, somethin’ goin’ on, and I wanna help ya through it.”
Why Charley Manley decided to stop dating Craig Conover
Though Charley has yet to reveal her decision to Craig on Southern Charm, she unpacked her thought process with several of her castmates in the March 4 episode, beginning with Salley.
The morning after the van drama, Charley told Salley that she had not spoken to Craig, nor did she want to “deal with that” situation just yet. Either way, she said that she believed he owed the group an apology.
“The way that Craig acted was absolutely inexcusable,” Charley remarked in a confessional. “And I would hope that he would apologize, like not only to Salley, but to everyone else in the van.”
RELATED: Craig Conover and Charley Reveal the Real Reason They Hid Their Kiss (EXCLUSIVE)
The topic arose again soon afterward during her outdoor yoga session with Venita Aspen and Molly O’Connell.
“It does suck, though, because I feel like in the past whenever I have seen him, like, overreact or like, ya know, whenever him and Austen got into it, like different things like that, it’s been about something,” Charley told the duo. “Seriously, last night, it was about nothing… I’m not interested in this.”
When Molly asked if the van incident was “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Charley responded in the affirmative, adding, “In terms of us, like, romantically, it’s not a thing.”
As the group embarked on a healing retreat in the mountains, Charley noted that she still had not spoken to Craig.
“It’s awkward because I’ve already made up in my mind that I don’t see him, like, romantically anymore,” she told a producer. “So, yeah, maybe I’m avoiding him a little bit. But I don’t really know if he’s picking up on my change in feelings.”
Why Craig Conover blamed Salley Carson for the slow progression of his and Charley Manley’s relationship
On the heels of his drama with Salley, Craig sat down with Whitney Sudler-Smith, who suggested that he apologize for getting “a bit agitated” the previous night.
When Craig asked who Whitney thought deserved an apology, he named Salley, for one. Craig replied, “It seems like no matter what happens, you can always count on Salley to be, like, right there.”
Whitney asked what he meant by that, prompting Craig to clarify, “I genuinely believe that if Salley wasn’t involved, that me and Charley would probably be further along.”
What Craig did not know at the time, however, was that Charley had already made up her mind that it was the end of the road for them.
As you await the Southern Charm finale, don’t miss what Craig said went wrong on his and Charley’s second date on Season 11.
