Naomie Olindo Has Had Quite The Transformation
Prior to getting her introduction on "Southern Charm" as Craig Conover's girlfriend, Naomie Olindo was part of an original summer 2012 pilot that never saw the light of day, as she shared with the "Mouthing Off" podcast. At the time, she had not begun dating Conover. Later, when "Southern Charm" got a 2014 greenlight and they'd become a couple, she made it clear that she wouldn't be part of it. In fact, she contributed to the Bravo show's hate train in Charleston, South Carolina. "People wanted nothing to do with it," Olindo admitted of the city on the podcast. "... They [her friends and family] were like, 'This show is an atrocity. It's so embarrassing,' and all this stuff, and so I was more so on that kind of bandwagon at the time."
Of course, the reality star had a change of heart, but it came at the expense of a job she held at the time. Since then, "Southern Charm" enthusiasts have kept up with Olindo both on the show and social media. She fell in and out of love — particularly with one unlikely prospect, but more on that below — had a cosmetic procedure done, and worked through grief after suffering a devastating loss, among many other changes and endeavors in her personal and professional life.
Here's how Naomie Olindo has evolved over the years.
The French native was raised in Charleston
Naomie Olindo is originally from Nice, France. Her formative years were spent in the European country, but her parents had a knack for travelling and heard good things about Charleston, South Carolina from an uncle who once lived in the city. Olindo's family went on an excursion, fell in love, and started the relocation process, as she narrated on the "Mouthing Off" podcast. The nine-month move was made easier by the fact that they had green cards.
"[I] moved to Charleston, SC with my parents when I was 9," Olindo shared in a conversation with Mestiza. "I have been in love with Charleston ever since and attended grade school through graduate school here. I love the low-country, being outside, traveling, spending time with friends and family, and helping animals."
Olindo's French roots became the foundation she needed to launch her own boutique, L'abeye, years later. The name, she told Mestiza, came about when she attended her cousin's nuptials in a French village. "The welcome party was in the most beautiful abbey with a cherry orchard," Olindo explained of the inspiration. "... In French, an abbey is spelled 'une abbaye' — I loved the way it sounded but wanted a new, made-up word (hello, Trademark), so I mixed it with the word 'une abeille,' which means a bee."
Naomie Olindo met Craig Conover in college
When Craig Conover and Naomie Olindo first met, she was in her freshman year while he was winding up his stint at the College of Charleston. According to a conversation Conover had with The Daily Dish, it was love at first sight when they crossed paths. There was no doubt in his mind that Olindo was the girl for him, but she couldn't so much as look his way.
"I remember the first time I saw her, she became everything in my head, but she wouldn't give me a chance," he told the publication. "... I would go out of my way to go over to her table or walk across the bar or whatever, the club, and try and talk to her. She would just look at me and look back at her phone and keep texting. I was like, 'Oh my God!'"
He felt that Olindo was being dismissive because she hadn't gotten to know him in-depth, but the latter future reality star was actually dating someone else, as she later disclosed on the "Mouthing Off" podcast. Unknown to Conover at the time, Olindo found her future beau to be good-looking.
She and Craig Conover reconnected and dated
Despite the fact that Naomie Olindo did not pay attention to Craig Conover in college, she was first to initiate the conversation that eventually started their relationship. The pair bonded at Charleston Fashion Week and went full throttle afterward. "We had a blast together [at Fashion Week], and she got to see that I'm actually a nice person and not a douchebag," Conover remarked in his conversation with The Daily Dish. Of course, the couple's love life played out on television from the third season of "Southern Charm" onward. Things seemed pretty serious since they'd moved in with each other. Conover even went as far as giving Olindo a promise ring, but both were fully cognizant of how fast their relationship was reaching major milestones.
"Yes, it's been a fast-moving relationship," Conover admitted in a 2016 chat with Bravo TV, adding, "Even though we don't foresee anything bad happening, we've only been together for a year, so why rush anything?" The ring, he added, was an assurance of the fact that he had the intention of walking her down the aisle in the future. That June, the lovebirds went on an Italian getaway, one which Olindo shared on Instagram with the caption, "Eataly you did not disappoint #cinqueterre #riomaggiore #squints."
Naomie Olindo ran a marathon to raise money for charity
When she was a postgraduate student at the College of Charleston, Naomie Olindo was introduced to ME, an organization that offers care and support for orphaned children in Haiti. She would subsequently register for the New York Marathon and complete a 26-mile run in November 2016, which raised $1,500 for the cause. Together with Craig Conover, whom she was still seeing at the time, the couple crossed the finish line in a little over six hours. Conover and Olindo each documented the milestone on Instagram in since-deleted posts.
Olindo went on to throw a cocktail party for the drive, one which was attended by some of her peers. It brought in an additional $4,000. Speaking to her alma mater's newsletter, she revealed how she didn't take it for granted that her friends showed up to offer their support. "It meant a lot to see so many members of my cohort at the event," the then-MBA scholar commented. "I couldn't have anticipated the level of encouragement and interest they have shown in ME. It is truly amazing."
This Southern Charm couple parted ways in 2017
By April 2017, Naomie Olindo and Craig Conover were still a couple. The pair lived together and took Entertainment Tonight on a tour of their living space, featuring two bedrooms, a bedroom-turned-shared closet, a sewing space for Conover, and a garage that served as a workshop for a separate home that was under renovation. However, Olindo and Conover progressively had differences that required the intervention of a therapist during Season 4 of "Southern Charm," and they would quietly fizzle out of each other's social media handles.
It took the effort of an inquisitive fan for Olindo to address the elephant in the room. In the comments section of a September 2017 Instagram post, the said fan asked whether Olindo and Conover were still an item. "Unfortunately we are not," Olindo replied. "But we are still great friends."
In his 2022 memoir "Pillow Talk: What's Wrong with My Sewing?" Conover explained the circumstances that led to their split. Per an audio book excerpt shared with Us Weekly, they were gearing up to move into their new home when an argument over a prospective tenant ensued. In the heat of the moment, Olindo apparently dropped the bombshell: she wasn't in love anymore. Although she tried to salvage the situation, he knew they were done. Speaking with The Daily Dish, Conover blamed the eventual breakup on the lack of compatibility. Olindo similarly said, "At the end of it, we were just two very different people that couldn't get along. It was sad because we did care about each other."
Naomie Olindo had a nose job
In a since-deleted February 2018 Instagram selfie, fans observed that Naomie Olindo's facial appearance was slightly different. The "Southern Charm" star took to the comments section to reveal that she'd had a rhinoplasty. "Getting my nose done was something I've wanted since I was eight years old," she later told The Look Book (via Bravo). "It's still early in my recovery but I've never been happier." Olindo further opined that discourse around plastic surgery shouldn't be tip-toed upon, and people ought to make adjustments to features they don't like about themselves if they want to and have the means to.
In an interview with her plastic surgeon, Dr. Joshua Zimm, Olindo revealed that factors such as the amount of money she would spend, the length of her recovery process, ease of communication post-surgery, and ability to get along with the medical practitioner in charge helped in finding the right facility. Overall, she advised, anyone thinking of having a rhinoplasty doesn't have to make a rushed choice. "I would definitely say take your time in making an actual decision because it is a big change," Olindo said, and continued, "If you're not ready, I think it could be a little psychologically weird. So, you definitely have to be ready."
She moved on with anesthesiologist Metul Shah
Naomie Olindo first stirred rumors of dating anesthesiologist Metul Shah in a since-deleted April 2018 Instagram post. In the photo (pictured above), Olindo and Shah were locked in a warm embrace. The smiling couple stood facing each other as Olindo wrapped one arm around Shah, who held a glass with his left hand. "pray 4 him," her caption read.
Slightly over a year after she teased her new man, Olindo was ready to officially introduce him to her "Southern Charm" audience. The pair made their debut on the show's sixth season with a joint workout session, during which they were each other's cheerleaders. While getting Shah to join his reality TV star girlfriend on "Southern Charm" took some persuasion, Olindo said of her beau in a 2019 interview with Decider, "He did it for me which is really nice."
It also turned out that Shah's appetite for self-improvement was what Olindo fancied the most. "He makes me want to do better," she revealed. "... Metul, he's really helped me [see] I don't need to go out all the time and people also shouldn't be pressuring you to do it. I definitely go out less and am home a lot more, but I'm so much happier that way."
Naomie Olindo lost her father to esophageal cancer
In December 2019, Naomie Olindo took to Instagram to announce the sad death of her father, Joel Olindo. "After privately fighting esophageal cancer for 12 excruciating months, my dad lost the only fight he's ever lost," she wrote in part. "He died peacefully surrounded by people that loved him more than words can explain."
Naomie went on to express that she wasn't sure what lay ahead. But in an empathetic tone, she sent a message of hope to members of her social media audience who were dealing with or affected by a loved one's cancer diagnosis. The "Southern Charm" star further showed appreciation to her close circle for being supportive to her family during the grieving process and called on those whose lives had been touched by her father to attend his wake.
In a chat with The Skinny Confidential, Naomie revealed that through her grief, she developed an irregular eating pattern. "It was hard for me to eat at first, and then I was overeating, so I was eating my feelings," she said. Revealing that she would periodically misuse Adderall "to help me balance" during this time, Olindo admitted that this wasn't something she'd recommend and had also opened up about turning to intermittent fasting.
She and Metul Shah broke up in 2021
In May 2021, Naomie Olindo and Metul Shah had taken things to a new level and were moving to New York after dating for three years. According Olindo's Instagram Stories at the time, the pair was eyeing a one-bedroom in Lower Manhattan. But the couple had barely settled in when Olindo made an unexpected return to her hometown after a split from Shah.
In another Instagram Stories post made that July, Olindo disclosed that she was dealing with the aftermath of Shah allegedly cheating. "Nothing will be worse than losing my dad," she wrote in part, "but this is a close second. Betrayal is never easy for anyone and I'm just so sorry to anyone else who has stumbled across those terrible messages." She would later reveal in a June 2022 conversation with People that she spoke with Shah immediately after the split, but that they didn't contact each other afterward.
The reality TV star had also announced that she was leaving "Southern Charm" prior to the couple's relocation but ultimately decided to make a Bravo return after the breakup. Luckily for her, the cast and crew received her back with open arms. "I'm so glad that I did it [came back] and that everyone was so welcoming for the most part, and we just had a lot of fun," Olindo remarked in a chat with Us Weekly.
The reality star spent a night with Southern Charm creator Whitney Sudler-Smith
In an August 2022 episode of "Southern Charm," Shep Rose's French bulldog, Little Craig, and Patricia Altschul's Pomeranian, Peaches, walked down the aisle. While it'd seem as though nothing could possibly go wrong at a dog wedding, a couple of things still stirred the pot. First, ex-lovers Austen Kroll and Madison LeCroy shared the stage as the best man and maid of honor; then, Kroll's new catch, Olivia Flowers, showed up to the event with someone else; and finally, Paige DeSorbo dismissed the entire ceremony as privileged.
Naomie Olindo added her own bombshell afterward in another August 2022 episode: She'd spent a night with show creator, Whitney Sudler-Smith. "Speaking of the dog wedding, I didn't tell you, but right after, I did kiss Whitney," Olindo revealed in a conversation with co-stars Leva Bonaparte and Kroll, who was also listening on the phone. "It was fun," she added. "He spent the night here."
Of course, Olindo's ex-boyfriend, Craig Conover, didn't take the news of the duo's budding relationship kindly. During an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," he revealed that he was startled — infamously enough so to show up at their door with a sword — but admitted that he'd had a hunch that something was brewing between the pair. He didn't have to be fired up for long, though, since the show's Season 8 reunion that October came with the revelation that Olindo and Sudler-Smith's romance had come to an end.
Naomie Olindo was MIA on Southern Charm's ninth season
In September 2023, Season 9 of "Southern Charm" hit the screens. While Naomie Olindo's former co-star, Kathryn Dennis (with whom she had a feud), confirmed her departure to Page Six that January, Olindo — who was also missing in action as a main cast member — hadn't made an official statement. However, early reports prior to the season premiere indicated that she was also exiting the popular series.
Since the premiere, Olindo has continued to remain mum on the matter. However, she's been active on social media while seemingly smiling her way to the bank through various partnerships as an influencer. In a November 2023 Instagram post, for example, Olindo marketed the anti-aging and acne skincare product reVive Light Therapy while showcasing her morning routine. A week later, Olindo hosted a giveaway with the jewelry brand Ring Concierge. At the time, she urged her audience to follow, comment, and tag their friends on her post for a chance to walk away with a diamond tennis bracelet. Olindo's influencer hat was also flying high with curated fashion pieces that were made available for purchase.
Fans and media outlets alike have attempted to surmise the reasoning behind Olindo leaving the show — with guesses ranging from the breaking down of friendships with her co-stars to dealing with accusations of breach of contract, defamation, and fraud in a lawsuit filed by former L'Abeye business partner Virginia Cox in 2022. However, as of this writing, not once has Naomie Olindo mentioned "Southern Charm" online.