Erika Jayne is opening up about her new romance — and why she’s keeping it far away from her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-stars.
The The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 54, recently shared that none of her castmates have met her new boyfriend, John “Shrek” McPhee, and that decision is very intentional.
Speaking to Us Weekly, Erika made it clear she prefers keeping this relationship private.
“No, no one’s met him. I kind of like it like that,” she said. “It’s because I like him and I know how bad these things are for your relationship.”
Erika has been quietly dating McPhee for about six months after meeting him earlier this year while traveling abroad. She confirmed the timeline during a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, where she told host Andy Cohen that the two first crossed paths in London.
Over the summer, the pair were photographed holding hands during an outing, which Erika later downplayed as completely unplanned.
“We didn’t know we were going to get manicures and pedicures,” she said of the moment. “Like, this was not part of the plan.”
Erika has also addressed her relationship on her Diamonds in the Rough podcast, where she revealed McPhee has his own ties to reality TV. He works as a private security guard for Heidi Montag and has known Heidi and her husband, Spencer Pratt, for years.
According to Erika, she met McPhee after running into Montag at an event overseas.
“It was random because [Heidi] went on, and then I went on after her,” Erika recalled. “I thought, ‘That’s that guy from the podcast. I’m gonna walk up and say hello.’ So I did.”
She continued, “I walked up and I introduced myself and I was like, ‘Hey, my name is Erika, and I’ve seen a couple of podcasts. I’m a fan.’”
Although McPhee typically works behind the scenes, he has built a sizable social media following and is well-known within Heidi and Spencer’s inner circle. He is also the godfather to their eight-year-old son, Gunner.
During her Watch What Happens Live appearance, Erika made a candid admission about her dating history, telling Andy Cohen that she’s the one in her friend group with the worst taste in men.
Still, she was quick to clarify her feelings about her current partner.
“I’d like to say the person I’m currently dating is a very nice person,” she said.
Erika also revealed that the couple plans to spend the holidays together, signaling that while she may be keeping this relationship out of the Bravo spotlight, it’s clearly getting more serious.