Victoria sat down for a joint interview with her new beau, Greg.
Victoria Fuller and Johnny DePhillipo's romance got heated quickly. Bachelor in Paradise's Victoria and her new beau, Greg Grippo, sat down for an interview on The Viall Files podcast and addressed her split with Johnny, the cheating allegations against her and Greg, and what's next in her life.
Victoria started the conversation by discussing her pre-Paradise relationship with Greg, which she classified as "platonic" in nature. After being friends for a year and some "really brief communication," Victoria decided to sign up for BiP and Greg decided to sit it out.
"I was always attracted to her, but we didn't have anything serious prior at all. I was in a relationship, I was in and out of it, so that was a confusing time for me," Greg said. "... My relationship ended in the midst of Paradise. In the back of my mind I was like, 'S**t. I hope she comes back single.'"
Victoria did not come back single, and instead reentered the real world engaged to Johnny, which made Greg feel "deflated." Upon her return, Victoria reached out to Greg in an effort to clear the air and prevent any uncomfortable run-ins in the future. Victoria claimed that Johnny was aware she made that phone call and "totally on board for it."
That phone call, Victoria and Greg said, marked the end of their communication for a while. At the same time, though, Victoria and Johnny's relationship was not flourishing outside of Paradise.
Victoria claimed that, on the beach, Johnny told her he owned a bar. That eventually changed to he managed the bar and then evolved again to him bartending at the now-closed establishment, according to Victoria. The apparent changing of narratives was "extremely frustrating," Victoria said.
Also an issue was that Johnny's season of The Bachelorette was airing upon the then-couple's return from Paradise. Johnny's relationship with Gabby Windey largely didn't work out because he said he wasn't ready to settle down, a fact that surprised Victoria, as she claimed he "never divulged" that information to her.
"It made me feel lied to. It made me feel like I wasn't walking into something that I had full awareness about," she said. "... That was where things started to change when we first got off the show."
Johnny previously told ET that his season airing did play a role in his and Victoria's split.
"We left Paradise on the wrong foot. My season was airing. It was super difficult to watch that and try to be engaged and happily engaged," he said. "It kind of snowballed. We started fighting. I think it was very mutual when it really came down to it. We were having our issues and it was just hard."
Feeling as if she was with "a completely different person" than she met on the beach, Victoria recalled one argument with Johnny during their first "happy couple" weekend together.
"We got in a really, really heated fight. It was three weeks in, we were at our first 'happy couple' trip," she recalled, before revealing that the fight started when Johnny reflected on if he could've been the Bachelor and Victoria shut down the notion.
"He looked at me and was like, 'Yeah, coming from somebody who was known to be a homewrecker,'" Victoria claimed. "... Everyone else can say what they want about me, but the one person who was supposed to stick by my side and have my back just used that against me."
Victoria said she then overheard Johnny talking to a friend on the phone about the argument, so she "threw a wine glass and it shattered." Victoria later clarified that she threw the glass outside and not in Johnny's direction.
"We actually got a noise violation 'cause that's how happy we were," she said sarcastically. "I don't know what happened, but apparently there was a noise violation. That's what I found out after we left."
The moment made Victoria realize how "f**king toxic" she and Johnny were together and thus started a "downward spiral" in their relationship. The situation reached its peak when Johnny allegedly called Victoria "a f**king c*nt," which he has denied. During the reunion, Johnny additionally told Victoria, "We both know that you said things that you don't want out there."
"It's hurtful that he won’t take ownership of what happened… but he did say that," Victoria alleged. "In the context that he used it, he actually said, 'Why are you being such a f**king c*nt.' And I said, 'Are you kidding me? You can't call me that.' And he goes, 'I didn't call you that. I said you were being one.'"
"Maybe it just came out of anger, but the fact that he won't admit that is infuriating. We went to therapy about that," she continued. "... His excuse was, 'Well, I have a lot of British friends, so it doesn't mean the same thing that she thinks it does'... All that aside, he did end up saying, 'I feel terrible for what I said and I wish that I could take it back.'"
According to Victoria, she and Johnny had "many conversations... about how I can't do this. I can't stay in this relationship," first in August and again in September, at which time the relationship "was over" for her. They spoke once more again, on Sept. 20, which was their final conversation, Victoria said. However, the timeline, Johnny previously told ET, "doesn't add up."
"We were still together. We had our issues, and we were working on things," Johnny claimed to ET. "... I just feel like engagement is something so sacred and in a sense we were dealt a bad card, so I really wish we had more time. But again, if she wasn’t happy then by all means you're allowed to be happy."
And happy Victoria was, as she and Greg started communicating at the end of September after she reached out to him. Victoria and Greg did note, however, that they didn't start dating right away.
"We're not delusional. It's not the best way to start a brand new relationship," Greg said. "... There was a spark between us and it was so new and fresh and fun, but it was like, hold on, let's try to think about this rationally... But then 12 hours later, 24 hours later, we were like, 'I want to see you again.'"
With that realization, Victoria and Greg decided to jet off to Rome, in the hopes of keeping their potential romance under the radar. The trip, Greg said, "changed everything" for them.
Videos soon surfaced of Victoria and Greg's European getaway, at a time where fans believed Victoria and Johnny were engaged. Thus started the cheating rumors.
"I started to feel not good enough for her. We started arguing and having fights," Johnny told ET. "Rumors started surfacing. I really wanted to trust her, but I don't know."
"I should be able to move on," Victoria said on the podcast through tears. "... I never cheated on Johnny. We had a conversation about it at our press event after the reunion. He even admitted [it]. He goes, 'I know you wouldn't cheat on me.' But I think he's just so upset right now because I did move on so quickly."
As for if Johnny believes Victoria cheated on him, he previously told ET, "I've got no comment on that. I have no clue. I'm kind of so ready to put this behind me."
During her tense reunion conversation with Johnny, Victoria felt that the audience was on her ex's side. "I never got a fair shot out there," she said.
Later during the reunion, Greg came out to join Victoria on the hot seat, something he was initially hesitant to do. "Their breakup had nothing to do with me and me going out there made it seem like that in a sense," he explained, before sharing that he ultimately did go on camera to support Victoria.
Now, Victoria and Greg are happy and in love, with the latter making plans to pack up his New York City life and move to Nashville to be with his girl.
"As messy as this all may seem, I'm really grateful how it happened because our relationship is based on the timing of it all," Greg said. "... We both had to go through our own s**t [first]."
Now that they have worked everything out, Greg admitted, "I'm completely in love with her. Head over heels in love with her." He added he does see their relationship heading toward an engagement.
When it comes to where she stands with Johnny now, Victoria said, "I wish the best for him moving forward."
For Johnny, the best for him involves working on himself and staying single for the time being.
"I think I need to take a step back. I need to rebuild. I think, personally, I need to be comfortable where I'm at in life," he told ET. "I think I'm still on my journey. I think I'm still trying to find where I am. Before I get into any serious relationship again, I'm working on myself."
Bachelor in Paradise's beach is officially closed for the season. Return to Bachelor Nation with Zach Shallcross' season of The Bachelor, which will premiere Jan. 23 on ABC.
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