Paige DeSorbo defends choice not to settle down just yet with Craig Conover

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The fate of Bravo-lebrity couple Paige DeSorbo and Craig Conover seems to be … more of the same.

The “Summer House” (her) and “Southern Charm” (him) paramours debated the status of their two-year long-distance relationship on the Season 7 finale of “Summer House,” which aired last Sunday.

Conover, the Sewing Down South founder, wants to hit milestones like living together, getting engaged, and starting a family — in Charleston, South Carolina.

However, DeSorbo has hustled hard for a career that spans three Bravo TV shows, the Giggly Squad podcast, and hosting her own shopping live stream on Amazon Live.

Understandably, the 30-year-old doesn’t want to leave New York City, where so many opportunities are based.

While they’re seemingly at an impasse, DeSorbo did agree to cohabitate with Conover in their respective cities.

“If the roles were reversed and Craig, as a 30-year-old man, said he wanted to focus on his career and wait to get married, everyone would praise him and tell him he has a good head on his shoulders,” DeSorbo told The Post. “But when it comes to me saying it, people assume things: ‘Oh, you don’t love your boyfriend.’ This could not be further from the truth.”

For the moment, it’s all working for the telegenic twosome, who share three Bravo shows between them — all but guaranteeing year-round TV coverage.

“Last year, I was on TV from September until the middle of the summer,” DeSorbo noted. “Craig and I have opposite schedules, so when I’m filming, he’s airing. When I’m airing, he’s filming. I am on ‘Southern Charm’ more now because I go down to Charleston to visit him.”

The two appear on “Summer House,” “Winter House” and “Southern Charm,” a crossover feat achieved by very few reality TV stars, who mainly stay in one lane.

While “Summer House” and “Winter House” continue the same theme of throwing sexy strangers into a house to see what drama ensues (just in different locations and seasons), “Southern Charm” is specific to a group of socialites living in Charleston.

Conover has been on “Southern Charm” since it debuted in 2014. The two met in 2019 and started dating in 2021 after filming “Winter House” together.

“We’re a lot better at dating long distance than we thought we would be,” DeSorbo said of their north-south commute. “It’s a different experience in your 30s than when you’re in college and you have a long-distance boyfriend who goes to a different school.”

Plus, DeSorbo is on the road frequently, touring with her girl-power Giggly Squad podcast-turned-live-show. Paige and her co-host, Hannah Berner, are selling out 3,000-seat venues across the country.

The Giggly Squad was born out of pandemic lockdowns. DeSorbo and her former “Summer House” castmate Berner were quarantining at their respective parents’ house — and bored out of their minds.

“Hannah and I were on FaceTime literally the whole day because there was nothing else to do,” DeSorbo said. “We would ask each other questions about our parents and just laugh so hard. We felt like we were little kids in high school being home for so long.”

The best friends moved their no-holds-barred chats to Instagram Live every night at 10 p.m. and started to gain viewers. Momentum was building until Paige had to leave to film season five of “Summer House.”

So they switched formats to a podcast and the Giggly Squad really took off.

“We really have no boundaries,” DeSorbo said. “It’s very raw and real. It’s unedited and it’s our true-true personalities. On TV, people watch us once a week for 45 minutes through an editor’s interpretation of our personalities. One of the reasons we started the podcast was so people could see our true personalities.”

Does DeSorbo worry about being canceled for any off-the-cuff comments?

“No,” she emphasized. “We live in such a canceled culture that you can get canceled for anything. I mean, Kate Middleton almost got canceled for wearing red nail polish. If we ever said anything to offend someone, we would immediately apologize.”

So far, so good. In fact, after two years of incredible success with the podcast, Berner, who tours as a comedian, felt they could parlay their Giggly Squad content into a live show.

At first, DeSorbo was nervous about the prospect of going on stage live.

“I’m in awe of standup comedians like Hannah who can go on a dark stage and talk to people for an hour,” she said. “She’s great at controlling a crowd. Obviously, we have a good rapport on our podcast, but also up on stage. We’re both so quick-witted with each other that it feels easy.”

Audiences are responding enthusiastically. The Giggly Squad has sold out clubs and theaters in New York, Austin, San Diego, Phoenix, and Denver.

“The tour is probably the most fun thing in my life that I do,” the high-achieving multi-tasker said. “Being able to travel with my best friend, and to meet all the people that listen to our podcast and perform for them is amazing. It’s a real pinch-me moment knowing that there’s 3,000 girls in New York City buying tickets to come see me perform.”

DeSorbo also has the distinction of being the first reality TV personality on Amazon Live, which she compares to QVC for a younger generation.

Five years ago, she started on the shopping platform as a model and was gradually allowed to interact with the host to show off fashion hacks (like wearing a bathing suit as a bodysuit).

Soon after, she began hosting her own one-hour live stream, advising viewers on what to wear to a wedding in the South or dressing for the office on a budget.

“It was exactly what I’d always wanted to do, marrying fashion and talking into a camera,” she said of the livestream shopping experience. “Viewers watch me try on clothes, see how it fits and how it matches with other pieces and accessories. It’s like having a Barbie in the dressing room for you.”

As a fashion influencer, DeSorbo also works with brands like Nike, Maybelline, Tommy John, and Tula.

The brunette also appears on the “Today” show occasionally as a fashion expert.

Her dream job? Hosting a morning show like “Live with Kelly and Mark.”

Growing up in Loudonville, New York, just outside Albany, the budding fashionista and former child model thumbed through “Vogue,” ripping out pages and recreating the looks at stores like Forever 21.

On Instagram, DeSorbo would feature her chic-on-a-budget outfits and even started doing a bit called “Front Paige News.”

She attended the nearby College of Saint Rose for broadcast journalism and, after graduation, moved to New York City and worked at ABC News. In 2017, a friend reached out with an opportunity to meet with casting agents for “Summer House.”

The Hamptons-based show was looking for new castmates for Season 3 after some stars had dropped out.

The meeting was quick, and since DeSorbo didn’t hear back for a few months, the opportunity was forgotten.

Apparently, behind the scenes, there was debate about casting the young go-getter.

“Nobody wanted to cast me,” DeSorbo said, laughing. “Bravo and the production company were at odds, but I had no idea. I was asked to come in for a meeting at Bravo, which I thought was normal, but actually it wasn’t.”

She dressed to the nines for her meeting with the Bravo executives, including a pair of too-tight green pumps from Zara.

“They hurt so bad, and my foot was bleeding inside the shoe,” DeSorbo recalled. “They were asking me questions and I couldn’t answer. So, I said, ‘I’m so sorry, but my foot is gushing blood right now and I can’t focus.’ And that’s what ended up getting me cast.”

By the next weekend, she was filming “Summer House” in the Hamptons.

I’ve always wanted to be in the entertainment industry,” DeSorbo said. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think it was going to be on ‘Summer House’ or reality TV in general, but I’m very thankful for the platform Bravo has given me.”

Paige also fan-girls another Bravo franchise, “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”

“My family is Italian, so I understood them the most,” she said. “I’ll never forget when RHONJ premiered. They’ll always be my favorite.”

But she doesn’t think she’s ready for the Real Housewives herself — yet.

“A Real Housewife is such a different animal,” she described. “I have no idea if I would be a good fit for ‘Housewives.’ They are a bit more combative than I typically like to be, but I would never say never.”

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