Ariana Madix Says Scheana Shay "Caught Herself Off-Guard" When She Fell for Her New Boyfriend

The end of a marriage is always a painful experience, but in the case of Scheana Shay, who announced her plans to divorce her husband of two years, Mike Shay, last November, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, according to her bestie, Ariana Madix. "I think over the last two years, I've seen Scheana grow a lot as a person," Ariana recently told The Daily Dish. "I think that some of the struggles that she went through last year with Shay and the struggles that we had in our friendship and her divorce, I think that these are all things that have actually helped her grow as a person, and I think that she's in a really good place right now." 

Experiencing something like a divorce has taught Scheana to confront problems instead of ignoring them, Ariana explained, which has already helped her as she begins a new relationship. "I think that the reason she's in a good place is because she's learning to address her issues head-on, whereas in the past, I think she was the kind of person who would sweep things under the rug or dismissed problems and just put on a happy face, go have fun," Ariana said. "So I think that now she's seeing this new person and I think that those two things combined, she's doing really well." 

Scheana confirmed last month on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen that she is currently dating a special someone, who is rumored to be actor Robert Valletta. Ariana said that she has met Scheana's new boyfriend, although she did not reveal any details about his identity.

But Ariana had nothing but kind words to say about Scheana's new man, and that's all that really matters, right? "I think he's awesome. I think he's a really nice person. He's a very smart person," Ariana gushed. "And I think he has a really high emotional intelligence. I think he's a great communicator and a really fun guy, and I wish them the best." 

Though Scheana and her beau have known each for a while, Ariana said that a romantic relationship caught the SURver by surprise. "Scheana and her new boyfriend have known each other for a really long time, but I think only really maybe Kristen [Doute] had met him before because he does a lot of charity work," Ariana shared. "But he's definitely not somebody that Scheana was talking to regularly. I don't think [she] really ever even expected what happened to go that way. I don't think she ever expected to see this guy over the holidays and [develop feelings]. So I don't know. I think it's really cool. I think it's a funny testament to how things change over time in life, and you never know what's gonna happen." 

Ariana said she was concerned about Scheana jumping into a new relationship so soon after she decided to call it quits with Shay. "For me, my protective nature when it came to Scheana moving forward past her divorce was always is this too soon because you don't want somebody to go from one relationship to another relationship," she explained. "But that being said, I think that talks that I've had with her, I really think that her relationship [with Shay] had kind of deteriorated over a long period of time, and I think she caught herself off-guard when she started seeing somebody else, like two-and-a-half months after. But I don't know. I just think that things happen, and if you deny yourself something that makes you happy, it might be detrimental in the future." 

But now that Scheana has gained some valuable life lessons, Ariana said that she is confident her friend has a good head on her shoulders as she starts the next chapter of her life. "I think that she's just kind of living for her now, and I think that as long as she keeps addressing those issues and as long as she doesn't brush things under the rug and is open to talking about where she is in her life and the fact that this is new and very soon, then I think that things might work out," Ariana said. "She just has to be open to having conversations. We all do." 

Watch Kristen spill even more details on Scheana's new man, below.

Kristen Doute Shares an Update on Scheana Shay's New Boyfriend