Shannon Beador Claims She Was Dating John Janssen Again Before Her DUI: 'It Wasn’t a Good Time' (Exclusive)

Shannon Storms Beador is getting candid about her romantic relationship with ex John Janssen.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the Real Housewives of Orange County star opened up about their dating past, revealing that she and Janssen had actually gotten back together before her September 2023 arrest for an alleged DUI and hit-and-run.

The pair previously dated for 3½ years starting in summer 2019. But in late 2022, Janssen called off their relationship, leaving Storms Beador "blindsided" and the two not on speaking terms.

A friendship developed again months later and by March 2023, Storms Beador, 60, and Janssen, 61, found themselves in a familiar place. "For about six months, he dated someone else and I dated someone else but after that, we reconnected," Storms Beador recalls.

They kept their pairing secret, however, even as their relationship turned sexual. "Both of us told everyone, 'No, we're not back together,' but we were acting like we were back together," she says.

"I think deep down, he and I both knew that it was never going to work," the mother of three adds. "So, I wouldn't say we were back together publicly, but we were together privately, for about six months."

Janssen has differing views on the relationship. “Several months after our break-up, I attempted a friendship with Shannon,” he tells PEOPLE. “As we both privately agreed and publicly declared, there was never an intent to rekindle our relationship. Any suggestion that we were back together as a couple is a mischaracterization of the situation.”

Reflecting on their rekindled relationship, the reality star says she felt uncertain about Janssen's intentions when they resumed dating.

"I'm not sure what he was really in it for," Storms Beador says. "But at the same time, he moved very quickly with me and told me that he loved me right away, that we were going to spend the rest of our lives together."

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Janssen was by Storms Beador's side throughout the summer, as she and her RHOC costars Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson launched their now-defunct Tres Amigas Tour. But their romance didn't last into the fall.

In the early hours of Sept. 17, Storms Beador was arrested in Newport Beach after crashing her car into a planter box attached to a house. She had been coming from Janssen's residence, where the two had been arguing.

Police recorded Storms Beador with a .24 blood alcohol level (three times the legal limit). She was booked on two misdemeanors, and spent a few hours in jail before she was released on a citation. She'd later be sentenced to three years of probation, which came with a required order to complete 40 hours of community service and a nine-month alcohol program.

Though Janssen supported Storms Beador in the wake of her arrest, roughly a week later, she says, he called her and ended their romance — claiming that the spotlight she brought with her had negatively impacted him and his family.

"It wasn't a good time," the Real for Real founder recalls, looking back on their second go-around.

Of course, Bravo viewers know Janssen has moved on. He's currently dating Beador's RHOC costar Alexis Bellino, a romance that PEOPLE exclusively reported back in December.

As for Beador, she's not dating anyone and tells PEOPLE she's not ready to get back on the horse just yet. "I haven't given up on love at all," she says. "I believe in, I still have the dream to be in a partnership with somebody. I don't know that I've ever really had that. So we'll see."

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.