Carl Radke on What Led Up to Split From Lindsay

Carl Radke is shutting down Lindsay Hubbard‘s claims of being blindsided by their August split and setting up an on-camera breakup.

Days after Lindsay, 37, told all about their breakup, which will ultimately air on the upcoming eighth season of Summer House, Carl, 38, reacted to her allegations against him and compared the end of their romance to his brother’s death as they reunited for fans at BravoCon.

“[We’re not seeing one another for] the first time, but the first time in a long time — and in front of a lot of people. I’m nervous,” Lindsay admitted to Bravo Breaking News on Instagram ahead of their on-stage reunion. “I don’t know [how I’m gonna feel]. I don’t know if I’m gonna be emotional. I don’t know if I’m gonna throw up some middle fingers. I guess we’ll see.”

When she was then asked about a “single man she has her eye on,” she named Below Deck Down Under‘s Captain Jason Chambers.

A short time later, after Carl and Lindsay took to the stage for their Summer House event with their castmates, they were questioned about the reunion, as Lindsay also shared an update on their living situation.

“This is the first time I’m seeing Carl. We don’t really speak unless he has to get into the apartment to get some stuff,” Lindsay explained, per Comments by Bravo on Instagram. “I’m really nervous. I’m not gonna lie. I’m shaking.”

Meanwhile, Carl said he’s “grateful to be” there and “nervous as well.”

“It’s emotional. But honestly, I’m just proud to be a part of this show, proud to be a part of Bravo and I honestly love all these fans so I wanted to be here,” he noted.

Though Carl and Lindsay didn’t rehash the details of their breakup on stage, Carl did have a lot to say during a couple of red carpet interviews

“I wanted to get married and have a family, but I think when you are getting to a point in your relationship where… we’ve been in couples therapy since November of 2022 every week for foundational things that we needed to work on,” Carl told Entertainment Tonight. “We’ve really been committed to try and work through things and get on the same page, but a wedding, having a family — that is a serious, serious thing. And I think — given where the summer was and how our relationship had been going — people will see that I had to really dig deep inside and have a very difficult and emotional conversation with her that I felt that I had to do because I really believe our relationship wasn’t in that position where it needed to be.”

With their would-have-been wedding date looming, Carl said he’s planning to go off the grid.

“I’m gonna take some time and go away, like go golf, turn my phone off,” he shared. “I love getting outside and just playing sports or being active. So, I think something like that would be good for me.”

According to Carl, it was a “difficult” decision to attend BravoCon during this “very painful, difficult time” and he feared Lindsay would be “very cold, if not, standoffish.”

That said, when it comes to their split, Carl said the new season will provide answers.

“I do believe if people watch the upcoming season it will make a lot more sense and add a lot more to what ultimately came at the end,” he teased.

During another interview, Carl continued on about what led to their breakup.

“We had a really rough summer and I think people will see that,” Radke said. “But it just shows the gravity of the situation when I really deep down felt like I needed to have a conversation with her about where we were at in our relationship and moving forward with the wedding,” he told PEOPLE, adding there were things that viewers “are gonna pick up on and see things from the beginning.”

Looking back on the breakup, Carl said it was “unbelievably emotionally hard” and “very challenging and difficult” to “process and heal.”

“This has been harder than my brother passing away, I’m not even kidding,” he stated. “It’s been very, very painful and emotional.”

As he heads back to work at Loverboy with Kyle Cooke, 41, and Amanda Batula, 32, at Loverboy, which will soon be launching a nonalcoholic beverage, Carl is proud of himself for staying sober amid these tough times.

“I have not picked up a drink,” he said. “I’ve not picked up any cocaine and those are the things that I have a major problem with. I’m really proud that I’ve been able to stay strong. These are moments where it’s really trying on your mental health [and] sobriety. I’m just trying to move forward with respect and focus on myself and try and live a happy life.”

As for the idea that Lindsay didn’t see their split coming, Carl insisted, “I firmly don’t believe she was blindsided because we’ve had these conversations.”

He also denied coaxing her into an on-camera breakup.

“I did not call production to set her up,” he revealed. “I don’t decide what is being filmed on Summer House. I really don’t. I just respond to what’s being requested.”

Summer House season eight is expected to premiere on Bravo sometime later this year or in early 2024.