Michelle Lally didn’t expect to see so many rumors being spread about her on The Valley, but luckily, she has her new boyfriend by her side when watching the new episodes.
“We’re dealing with it a week at a time. We actually [watch] the episodes together. So the first time I watch it, we watch it together,” Michelle, 36, exclusively told Us Weekly. “And so sometimes he has to give me pep talks. But he’s been super, super supportive in every way.”
Michelle praised her new man for the energy he has brought into her life, adding, “He’s like, ‘I just am here to help and make everybody happy. So whatever I can do.’ And he has made a really good impression with everybody.”
Bravo viewers might be surprised to find out about Michelle’s new man — who is dating financial advisor Aaron Nosler — since the first season of The Valley focused on her marriage to Jesse Lally. Since filming wrapped late last year, however, Michelle and Jesse, 43, filed for divorce.
According to Michelle, her and Jesse have gotten to a better place as they focus on coparenting their 4-year-old daughter, Isabella. She credited her mystery man for being “helpful with dealing” with her estranged husband amid their divorce.
Michelle also revealed whether The Valley viewers would be introduced to her boyfriend in the future, telling Us, “I think he’s open to the idea. But I’m not sure because his profession is a financial director, so it’s just very opposite of reality TV.”
The apprehension makes sense after season 1 focused so heavily on Michelle’s personal life. Her costar Kristen Doute in particular infamously claimed that Michelle was having an “emotional affair” and had a “secret boyfriend” in the past.
“No, that’s not true. I text [and] talk [at] lunches, dinner with all kinds of people with real estate. I think people got confused about what networking is and Jesse was very aware of what everybody’s talking about. So none of that was hidden and Jesse and I were on the same page about everything,” Michelle explained. “I think [Kristen] just doesn’t understand the real estate aspect. She was my friend and I talked to her about certain things and I think she just maybe got the wrong idea. Let’s be real, Kristen changes stories and twists words and maybe she’s not paying attention.”
In fact, Michelle wasn’t even aware of what was being said until it aired, adding, “Watching that [live] was the first time that I had heard or seen that part. I’m a little thrown off by it. My marriage is not a game. We have a child and it’s hard to watch.”
Michelle told Us that Kristen, 41, was actually “a huge factor” in “a lot of the problems.”
“I’m not blaming Kristen for my failed marriage. I just think that she took my marriage as a game and she didn’t help the situation. But, of course, it wasn’t Kristen’s fault that we were unhappy,” she noted. “But when two people that are married are struggling and then you have somebody throwing all of these things at you, it just makes it that much harder to deal with.”
After calling it quits, Michelle and Jesse both found love with other people. Jesse recently opened up to Us about his romance with Lacy Nicole.
“I’m super happy with her. We’ve been great friends and we newly started dating. She’s just an incredible personality and she’s such a loving soul,” he shared earlier this month. “We’re just super happy right now to get back to a place of happiness. I just feel more grounded and she’s special. But it’s new, so we’re just taking it slow.”
Michelle said she also felt reinvigorated in her new relationship.
“I haven’t been this happy. I don’t even remember the last time I was this happy. Me and my boyfriend, we get along really well. He’s super sweet,” she gushed. “He does everything I want and above. He obviously knows Isabella and he’s incredible with children and loves her. It’s just really refreshing to have a really healthy and lovely relationship.”
In addition to introducing her boyfriend to her daughter, Michelle revealed he has met Jesse as well.
“It was a little unexpected, a little surprise call. I was not expecting an invitation. I had actually told [Jesse] prior that I wanted to introduce him to my boyfriend and just the timing didn’t work. Then he said, ‘Well, I’m throwing this party, if you guys like to join. It’d be nice,'” she recalled. “My boyfriend and I thought it was actually a great idea to do an introduction because it’s not so private and there’s other people and it might be just a little smoother and easier and more natural. So I think it was a very good night and we got to all spend it with Isabella.”
The Valley airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET and is available to stream on Peacock the next day.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
