Why did Dorina and John split?
On tonight’s episode of Real Housewives of New York‘s Dorinda Medley confirms that she and her partner John Mahdessian have broken up after seven years together. The couple never felt the need to get married or move in together, which has no doubt made some aspects of their breakup fairly easy, but these unconventional elements of their relationship may have contributed to it’s demise. On tonight’s episode of the show, Dorinda explains why she’s confident about moving on despite still loving John.
There don’t appear to be harsh feelings between the two, they just seem to want different things from love and life right now. Dorinda seems to want someone who’s willing to offer up a little more commitment. “The breakup with John is sad, it’s terrible,” Dorinda says in a preview clip for tonight’s show. “But I also know that I have to do what’s best for me now and I’ve realized that my expectations levels have grown. This is what I want now, this is what I need and I need to find the right partner that’s willing to be engaged in that. And I don’t think that’s bad. I think that’s honesty.”
News of a “break” with John, who operates a dry-cleaning business, came last September via a Page Six item. “They’re starting to live separate lives,” an unnamed source told the publication. “He’ll attend the opening of an envelope, and she goes out for work, but she’s really low-key. He’s all about being the guy on the town since she’s been on the show.” The article backed up news of a split with the fact that Dorinda had been seen out-and-about New York City without John lately. Given the nature of their relationship, that hardly seems like evidence of a split.
In the clip from tonight’s show Dorinda shows the article to Sonia Morgan and that her relationship with John is indeed over. “I love John and I’ll always love John. There’s no big fight, but I feel bad because John feels terrible because we love each other. And I love him and I don’t know what will come of it. I just know that, and don’t you feel too, that you’re growing so fast?”
After that Page Six item came out, John shared a photo of him and Dorinda together with the caption “About last night with my Love…Happy Birthday Mona, we love you!❤”
Although back then it was unclear whether they were working things out or not, John now appears to be very much a bachelor. In April he shared some footage on Instagram of his new “domesticated” life during COVID-19 Stay At Home orders.
When did Dorinda and John split?
Although it appears that the split happened around last September, trouble was brewing for awhile. On an episode that aired last May (2019) Dorinda shared some thoughts about marriage that caused some hurt John. She said on the show: “past a certain age, people should not be allowed to be married. It’s for the young. They have tolerance, they have dreams, they want babies. You get to my age, and it’s the opposite. I don’t even want a plant in my house.”
Dorinda told Page Six that John was “a little hurt” by her opinion about marriage.
She later clarified to Too Fab that she feels that way about marriage because she’s had her fair share of experience with it having been married twice before. At the time she saw her bond with John as healthy and strong. ‘I just think at this point in my life, it’s more about having someone you trust and love and a wonderful companion,” she told Too Fab. “I don’t know if it’s necessary — without children and without all of those sort of old-world ideas of marriage — to have to formalize it in that way. . . Believe me, I know a lot of married people that are less happy than John and I.”
Early Season 12 episodes of Real Housewives of New York showed cracks in their relationship. Dorinda was struggling with renovating her NYC apartment when her Berkshire house flooded. This stress made her yearn for a time when the man in her life helped take some of this type of responsibility off her shoulders. Dorinda never gave direct shade to John, but this part of her storyline shown light on things about their relationship that might be frustrating Dorinda.
Later, during fashion week in NYC, Dorinda found herself only spending time with John if they happened to run into each other at a party. This lack of effort to see her further annoyed Dorinda and made her question her relationship.
How many times has Dorinda been married?
Dorinda was previously married to hedge fund manager Richard Medley, who died from liver failures in 2011, for six years. Before her marriage to Richard, Dorinda was married to investment banker Ralph Lynch. She and Ralph have one daughter, Hannah, together. Dorinda didn’t have children with Richard, but she was a step-mother to his two kids.
Amelia Cunningham is a Starcasm writer and editor @AmeliaStarcasm
