Moving on! Southern Charm alum Ashley Jacobs went Instagram official with her new boyfriend after opening up about her “extremely lonely” relationship with ex Thomas Ravenel.
The registered nurse, 35, took to social media to wish her new man, Mike Appel, a happy birthday on Monday, December 2. According to LinkedIn, Appel is the cofounder and chief marketing officer of designer undergarment brand, Related Garments. Jacobs showered the “stud muffin” with love to celebrate his big day.
“Found someone close to my own age!! 😉,” the former Bravo personality captioned the sweet photo, joking about the decades-long age difference between herself and Ravenel, 57. “And our birthdays are just a day a part! Happy birthday to this cutie ♥️ Thanks for making me smile!!”
Jacobs’ announcement of her new relationship comes a few months after the former reality star got candid about the tolls being with Ravenel took on her mental health. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in July, Jacobs admitted that she went through a “dark” period while dating her ex.
“I lost a lot of weight. I wasn’t taking care of myself mentally. I suffered from depression,” the Southern Charm alum admitted at the time. “It was extremely lonely because I didn’t have the support of my family, they were very disappointed in my decision.”
The California native began dating the former politician in May 2017 and appeared to call it quits in August 2018, shortly after Ravenel was accused of sexual assault by two different women. At the time the allegations went public, Ravenel’s former lawyer, Richard P. Terbrusch, told Us Weekly: “My client enjoys a certain degree of fame and unfortunately has become — unfairly — a target for an individual who has, in my opinion, dubious motivations.”
During their relationship, Jacobs was also heavily critiqued for her controversial on-camera interactions with her then-boyfriend’s ex, Kathryn Dennis, with whom Ravenel shares two children. She later apologized to Dennis, 28, and to Southern Charm fans through a statement on Instagram.
“It was not my place to say anything at all, much less the reckless comments I made. I crossed a line and hurt people who don’t deserve it,” Jacobs wrote at the time.
Dennis revealed to Us exclusively at BravoCon in November that Jacobs would not be returning for season 7 of the Bravo series.
