A source tells ET that Mortimer 'did not know this was over.'
Tinsley Mortimer didn't see her split from Scott Kluth coming. A source close to the former Real Housewives of New York City star tells ET she was "absolutely blindsided" by Kluth calling off their engagement, and is confused about why he would run to the press to declare their relationship was over before they had a chance to talk about it.
"It's so weird he would run to the press when he 'hates the press,'" the source says. "It seems like he's trying to control the narrative and create a timeline that's just not true. He's humiliating her."
Kluth claimed in a statement to People on Thursday that he and Mortimer quietly called things off months ago, but ET's source says that's also not true. According to the source, Kluth only ended their engagement last week after "falling into old patterns" of commitment issues.
The couple has spent the last two months apart, though, traveling for personal and business reasons. Mortimer had just returned to their shared home in Chicago from a stay in Palm Beach, Florida, with her mother, Dale Mercer, when Kluth broke up with her, the source says.
"She did not know this was over," the source adds. "She obviously does not want this. She left her life for him."
Mortimer was introduced to the CouponCabin CEO in February 2017 by her RHONY castmate, Carole Radziwill. The pair continued to date on and off until their engagement in November 2019. Last year, Mortimer revealed she'd be moving to Chicago to be with Kluth, and in June, she announced she'd thus be leaving RHONY.
ET's source says Mortimer had been working for Scott's company, CouponCabin, since parting ways with Real Housewives.
"He made her leave the show and promised they'd get married," the source claims. "She definitely wouldn't have left the show if it weren't for Scott giving her an ultimatum. He took her away from her career because she wanted to be an actual, real housewife with Scott. She wanted a family, and he took that away, too."
The source doesn't know what Mortimer's next move is yet, but doesn't rule out a return to RHONY. See more in the video below.
Reporting by Brice Sander.
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