Why Erika Jayne Is Keeping Her New Romance Under Wraps on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Erika Jayne has a new guy, and she is keeping him far from the Bravo bubble. She is also finally talking about where things stand with her never-ending Tom Girardi divorce. There is a lot going on here, so let’s break it down.

The new relationship (and why nobody on RHOBH has met him)

Erika says she has not introduced her boyfriend to her castmates and has no plans to rush that. She is intentionally keeping this one off to the side, away from the group dynamics and cameras. He also has not watched The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and is basically unfamiliar with the show, which is probably part of the appeal.

'No, no one’s met him. I kind of like it like that... I want to keep this relationship special and over here if I can.'

So, who is he?

His name is John McPhee. He is a retired U.S. Army Special Operations Sergeant Major who now works as Heidi Montag’s private security. Yes, that Heidi Montag. He does not live in Southern California, but they are planning to spend the holidays together.

How they met (and why Erika walked up to him first)

They crossed paths in London earlier this year at a Heidi Montag show. Erika recognized him from a podcast she had watched a couple of times, walked right up, introduced herself, and that was that. They have been seeing each other for about six months, and public curiosity really kicked in after the two were spotted together in July 2025 — their first notable outing as a pair. Erika says she feels comfortable with him in a way that reads as refreshingly simple for her: holding hands in public, not overthinking it, just a nice guy.

Where things stand with the Tom Girardi divorce

Erika filed for divorce back in November 2020 after 21 years of marriage, and it is still not finalized. She recently explained that the delay is tied to Tom’s legal and medical status — she says it is complicated to divorce someone deemed incompetent and that she has to go through his conservator. She also shot down armchair theories about why it is taking so long, basically telling people to cool it. As for visiting Tom, who is incarcerated, she says she has thought about it and decided not to. In her words, that chapter is done.

For context: one month after she filed, Tom was hit with a lawsuit accusing him of redirecting settlement money that should have gone to families of the victims of the Lion Air Flight 610 crash. He was later found guilty and is serving seven years and three months in prison.

Quick timeline

• 2015: Erika joins The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
• Nov 2020: She files for divorce from Tom Girardi after 21 years of marriage.
• Dec 2020: Girardi is sued for allegedly embezzling funds owed to Lion Air Flight 610 victims’ families.
• Later: He is found guilty and sentenced to seven years and three months in prison.
• Early 2025: Erika meets John McPhee in London at a Heidi Montag show.
• About six months dating as of now; first spotted together publicly in July 2025.

Bottom line: Erika is keeping this relationship private on purpose, which honestly feels like the smartest move she could make given her history on the show. We will see if that lasts once filming heats up again, but for now, she is keeping the romance in its own lane.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is streaming on Peacock.