RHOC: Vicki Gunvalson’s Ex-Fiancé Steve Lodge Announces He’s Engaged

Steve Lodge, who was once engaged to Vicki Gunvalson from The Real Housewives of Orange County, is now engaged to another woman. Before Steve found a new person to spend the rest of his life with, he was in a relationship with the OG from the OC. The former couple began dating in 2016, shortly after Vicki broke up with her infamous boyfriend, Brooks Ayers. Vicki finally felt as though she found her person in Steve as he proposed to her in 2019.

The pair planned on tying the knot in April 2020, but the wedding was postponed due to COVID-19. However, the wedding was never rescheduled as Steve broke off their engagement in September 2021. Vicki alleged that Steve had cheated on her with a younger woman, but he has denied these allegations more than once. Now Steve is with someone new three months after they announced the end of their engagement.

In a statement to PEOPLE on January 3, Steve revealed he popped the question to his girlfriend Janis Carlson, 37, last month. “I did ask Janis on Dec. 20 if she would become Mrs. Steve Chavez Lodge, and she happily agreed,” the retired police officer confessed. Steve also revealed that he and Janis plan to wed in April 2022. “We are both very excited, incredibly happy, totally in love, and look forward to our life together,” he added.

Steve, who ran for the Governor of California, went Instagram official with his new love on Christmas Day, sharing a photo of the pair in Mexico. Janis is reportedly a third-grade school teacher in Orange County and began dating Steve in September, shortly after he called off his engagement to Vicki. If Steve and Janis get married, it will be his fourth marriage and her first. The news of Steve’s engagement comes more than three months since he and Vicki called off their engagement. The pair got engaged in April 2019 after they started dating three years prior. Shortly after they announced the end of their relationship, Vicki called Steve out for cheating on her for most of their relationship. She said he was seeing a younger woman for some time and even brought his mistress to Vicki’s condo in Mexico. However, Steve denied those allegations, claiming the pair actually broke up in December 2020, meaning he was never unfaithful while they were a couple. Steve also added that he and Vicki tried to remain friends, but she always wanted more.

Friends and family may have to do a wellness check on Vicki since Steve announced his engagement to Janis. Vicki was madly in love with Steve throughout their relationship, and it seems as though Steve didn’t feel the same way. He moved on fairly quickly and has officially put his relationship with Vicki in the past.

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo.

Source: PEOPLE, Steve Lodge/Instagram

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