Amanda Batula Was 'Not Shocked' by Paige DeSorbo and Craig Conover's Split as Kyle Cooke Recalls Past 'Red Flags'

Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke are revealing their reaction to Paige DeSorbo and Craig Conover’s breakup.

In an interview with E! News, the married reality stars opened up about whether they saw the split coming while filming Summer House with DeSorbo in the months prior. Explaining that there had been signs, Batula said she had mixed feelings about the news.

"I would say surprised, but not shocked," she told the outlet. "You want your friends to be happy and you want their relationships to go in the direction of marriage and for everything to work out. So, it was sad. But Paige makes decisions that are only for the best with both parties."

Related: Paige DeSorbo and Craig Conover's Relationship Timeline — From Their Best Moments On-Screen Together to Their Amicable Breakup

Cooke, however, did not see it coming. In fact, when he saw the trailer for the new season of Summer House just weeks before learning of the split, Cooke said he didn’t think scenes showing DeSorbo contemplating ending things with Conover were serious.

"When I saw that trailer — this is like mid-December — I was like, 'Come on, she's just being dramatic,'" he said. "So, there's definitely some surprise, but there were some red flags over the summer when you look back."

"I don't know how much we'll see, but I think it takes a lot for Paige to air concerns. She keeps things bottled up until it's finally at that point where it bubbles over,” he added. "There was one moment that she and I had where she was talking about some of the challenges that they were facing. Literally in the three years they were dating, this is the first time I've ever heard of a speedbump, which is interesting."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

DeSorbo announced that she and Conover were parting ways during an episode of her Giggly Squad podcast, on Dec. 30. Telling co-host Hannah Berner that she and the Southern Charm star "decided to no longer be together," she also noted that she "wasn't expecting this" to happen.

"I have so much love and respect for Craig. I think he is one of the best people I have ever met in my entire life," DeSorbo explained. "I will remain the biggest fan of him and want the best for him and he truly will get the best because he is the best. But with that said, I think it was just the right decision for both of us moving forward in our lives and the direction in our lives that we didn’t force."

She went on to call Conover "the best boyfriend I've ever had."

Related: Paige DeSorbo Is the Queen of Summer House (But Her Mom Still Makes Her Empty the Dishwasher)

"He was a great boyfriend, and he did everything correct, and he never made me feel insecure or anything like that, so it almost is harder when no one’s done anything to be mad about, and that’s hard," she said.

The pair first met while DeSorbo was filming Summer House in the Hamptons in 2019 when members of the Southern Charm cast attended Cook’s birthday party. At the time, Conover was dating his then-girlfriend Natalie Hegnauer, but he and DeSorbo developed a friendship.

They later filmed Winter House together, where they realized their feelings for one another. Although they continued to see other people in the months that followed, they made things official in October 2021.

Read the original article on People