Patti Stanger reveals why pal Luann de Lesseps’ romance with Mary-Kate Olsen’s ‘boring’ ex-husband ‘didn’t work’
He couldn’t keep up with the Countess.
Patti Stanger exclusively tells Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast why pal Luann de Lesseps’ romance with Mary-Kate Olsen’s ex-husband, Olivier Sarkozy, fizzled so fast.
“It didn’t work. He didn’t want to do anything. He’s like, ‘I like to stay home, I don’t want to go anywhere,’” the famed relationship expert, 62, says while promoting her new CW reality series, “The Matchmaker.”
Revealing some of the feedback de Lesseps shared with her directly, Stanger says the “Real Housewives of New York City” alum’s vibrant personality didn’t mesh with the French banker’s lackadaisical disposition.
“Luann is the life of the party. There’s no way,” says the former Bravolebrity, who’s known de Lesseps, 58, for years. “She’s like, ‘He was so boring.’’
Fans speculated that the “Chic C’est La Vie” singer was exploring a potential relationship with Sarkozy after they were spotted enjoying a cozy Manhattan lunch date at Le Bilboquet in March. After a two-hour meal, they were photographed flashing wide smiles and linking arms.
That same month, de Lesseps played down the nature of their outing. She told Life & Style that she and Sarkozy — who divorced Olsen, 37, in 2020 after five years of marriage — have “known each other for a while,” and characterized their dynamic as strictly platonic.
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However, Stanger recalls de Lesseps telling her they met on Raya, the dating app loved by celebrities and industry elites.
The “Millionaire Matchmaker” alum emphasizes that she was “excited” about the prospect of de Lesseps and Sarkozy dating — until she heard how their time together went.
“Listen, when somebody is negative about their marriage or their relationships and all they want to do is hibernate, they’re not healthy yet,” she says, suggesting that Sarkozy made it clear to de Lesseps that he still harbors feelings for Olsen.
“That doesn’t mean they can’t be healthy, [but] I think he was depressed, from what it sounded like. I mean, I wasn’t there. But I think he was depressed.”
Stanger, for her part, doesn’t blame him.
“He came off one of the most famous, beautiful women in the world. She was gorgeous and she’s rich,” she says of the child actress-turned-fashion designer. “That was not a broke chick, OK? She didn’t need his money.”
Meanwhile, de Lesseps needs to give French men a break, according to Stanger.
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“I was like, ‘Stay away from — nothing against the French, but you had a lot of French men,’” she says of advising the cabaret performer, who was married to French entrepreneur Alexandre de Lesseps for 17 years before dating French stud Jacques Azoulay.
“Maybe we try the Italians this time or a Greek or something, you know?” quips Stanger.
When she isn’t doling out advice to her friends, the love guru is helping others facilitate happily-ever-afters on “The Matchmaker” — with assistance from her cohort, “Bachelor” alum Nick Viall — as they push subjects to conquer personal fears, encouraging them to become the most eligible versions of themselves.
“We’re a great team,” she raves. “And it’s less about finding people who will put up with millionaires, like on my other shows, and more about discovering how we can help create a long-lasting relationship for individuals by helping them heal from their past.”
Stanger is also thinking about viewers at home, who may not ever have the opportunity to make use of her and Viall’s matchmaking skills.
She recently teamed up with Eye of Love to create a line of pheromone-infused fragrances and candles to help lovelorn people attract their perfect partner.
“It will get you the guy or the girl, depending on what you want. Gay or straight, fluid, bi,” Stanger says of the her inclusive — and aptly titled “Matchmaker” — product line. “And if you’re in a couple, there’s a couples kit.”
“The Matchmaker” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
