Pals of Tinsley Mortimer are incandescent with rage after fiancé Scott Kluth dumped her after forcing her to choose between him and her TV show.
Insiders say that the Coupon Cabin founder claimed to dislike the media attention that came with her job on “The Real Housewives of New York” — and he gave her an ultimatum near the end of 2019 saying that if she quit the show, he would marry her.
Mortimer agreed, and moved to his hometown of Chicago — only, we’re told, for Kluth to casually dump her last week without offering a reason.
“He tortured her. For years he would break up with her and get back together with her and break up with her again,” claimed one of Mortimer’s friends. “But when he proposed, she believed he meant it. She left her career, she left her livelihood, she left her home, and suddenly he’s back to his old tricks again and he called off the engagement.”
Added the friend, “He has a fear of commitment. He never had it in him to follow through with his promise to marry her. And he used her celebrity to promote his coupon company.”
We’re told Kluth dumped the socialite-turned-reality star after a fight last Friday.
Meanwhile, the insider said he sent a statement to People magazine, giving Mortimer barely any notice that the celebrity weekly was set to announce their split.
“So the guy who hates the press runs to People magazine,” sniffed the pal.
Kluth said in the statement, “After 14 months of engagement, Tinsley and I have ended our relationship and we have been living independently for the last few months.”
But the insider told us, “She didn’t want this.” They also said that the idea that they’d been living apart was misleading, because they’d both been traveling for much of that time. They said Mortimer was “blindsided” by the sudden split.
We’re told that Mortimer’s “head is still spinning” and she doesn’t yet know if she’ll move back to New York.
A spokesperson for Kluth said in a statement, “It is disappointing that during this emotional time for both of them, Tinsley is mischaracterizing the circumstances of their breakup, which happened months ago. As Scott has already said, he wishes nothing but the best for Tinsley and is seeking to recover emotionally and move on.”
Kluth proposed in November 2019 in an elaborate spectacle involving drones and a choir. They put their wedding plans on hold because of the pandemic.
She was previously married to Topper Mortimer from 2002 to 2010.