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Lu reveals how she found a new man during the pandemic.
"Real Housewives of New York" star Luann de Lesseps didn't just land a new beau amid coronavirus lockdown, she got a personal trainer out of the deal too!
After the 55-year-old reality star was spotted at a restaurant in the Hamptons with 49-year-old Garth Wakeford earlier this month, Lu confirmed the two are seeing each other this week during an appearance on the Ex Appeal podcast.
As talk turned to her love life, de Lesseps said she was "single" and has been on a few dates "here and there," before confirming that she, yes, is "dating my trainer." The two didn't meet during a session, however, but on a dating app.
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"With the pandemic in place, it's been so hard to meet people. My niece got me on Hinge and then got me on Raya," she explained. "I've been kind of flirting on some dating apps."
She said that when she saw Wakeford's photos, she thought he was "too good to be true." The trainer and former rugby player is blonde, 6-foot-6 and from South Africa.
"He's pretty manly. He's been in the army ... he's a guy who knows what he likes," Lu continued. "He's been married before, for 15 years. For me, it's important a man has been married and has some experience, otherwise they always put themselves first."
The two met up, masks and all, at a coffee shop in the Hamptons and she was surprised to find he was "Exactly what he looks like on the app." She added, "he's very tall and he's handsome, he looks like a Viking. He's gorgeous."
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They've been out a few times since, but have been taking things slow. "It's been a very nice thing to happen during a pandemic, to meet somebody that you like and conveniently lives close by," she added.
He then became her personal trainer after they started seeing each other.
de Lesseps was most recently attached to her own agent, Richard Super, who she dated off an on following her divorce from Tom D'Agostino. Before Tom, she was married to Alexandre de Lesseps for 16 years; the two share two children.
