'Bachelorette' DeAnna Pappas And Her Ex Still Butting Heads Almost A Year After Their Divorce

DeAnna Pappas is striking back with a restraining order against her estranged husband, Stephen Stagliano.

The former "Bachelorette" star has filed a restraining order against her former husband after she was previously arrested for getting in a fight with him.

DeAnna Pappas and Stephen Stagliano successfully dissolved their 11-year-old union in June 2024 after meeting and falling in love at a Bachelor Nation event in 2009.

It all began when Stephen's mother, Lynn Stagliano, made a filing on March 7, accusing DeAnna of being an uncontrollable alcoholic. Lynn claimed the TV star was reeking of alcohol when she went to pick up her grandchild from school at her home.

DeAnna quickly countered an ex parte application submitted by Stephen, although this response is not reflected in the court records. She asserted that Stephen's claims were rooted in a false narrative, explicitly alleging that he had fabricated accusations of her being an alcoholic. 

DeAnna contended that these accusations were untrue and served as a strategy for Stephen to gain an unfair advantage in his efforts to distance the children from her.

As shared by In Touch, DeAnna has made serious allegations against Stephen, accusing him of influencing their daughter to search for alcohol within the home.

She claims that he has trained their child to "sniff out" alcohol and to distance herself from DeAnna by fostering the belief that she is an alcoholic. DeAnna firmly denies these accusations, stating, "I am not an alcoholic."

DeAnna also took another legal action against her ex-husband by filing for a restraining order following an incident on February 26. In her petition, she requested that Stephen be mandated to maintain a distance of 100 yards from her. A hearing regarding this matter is scheduled for later this month.

On the incident, DeAnna recalled that when she walked their daughter to Stephen's car so he could take her, he made a disturbing comment about her. The TV personality explained that her estranged husband insisted she walk closer to him so he could smell her breath and check if she was drunk.

Ignoring his comment, DeAnna tried to return to her garage but noticed Stephen had followed her inside, leaving their daughter alone in the running car. When she attempted to close the garage door, he prevented it from shutting and refused to leave when she shouted at him to do so.

At this point, an already threatened DeAnna noted that she retreated into her home, locking the door behind her. However, Stephen confronted her again, grabbing and forcefully shoving her.

Fearing for her safety, she reportedly called the police, and when they arrived shortly after midnight, DeAnna learned that Stephen had accused her of being the aggressor and had pressed charges of domestic violence against her. 

DeAnna stated she was never asked to take an alcohol test and that the arresting officer showed no concern about her intoxication.

Despite this, she was arrested on a misdemeanor charge on February 27 and released on a $20,000 bond the same day. She claimed she voluntarily took drug tests afterward and tested negative for both.

The former reality star filed for separation from Stephen in January 2023 after more than ten years together, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split.

In her petition, she stated that the date of separation was the same as the filing date. DeAnna filed for primary custody of their children along with spousal support, while Stephen requested joint custody of the kids. DeAnna also publicly addressed the breakup, stating:

"It is with immense sadness Stephen & I have decided to end our relationship as a couple. We have been working hard for a long time — both as a married couple & as individuals — & have come to the conclusion to remain separate."

The star reiterated her and Stephen's commitment to co-parenting their children, Addison and Austin, with love and faith despite their challenging circumstances. 

She requested privacy on behalf of her family as they adjusted to their new normal and extended their gratitude to friends and family for their unwavering support and prayers during this difficult time.

DeAnna gained popularity after participating in the 2007 season of ABC's "The Bachelor" alongside Brad Womack. As shared by The Blast, the mother-of-two reached the final rose ceremony but declined Womack's super-emotional engagement proposal. 

Following that experience, she became "The Bachelorette" and eventually got engaged to Jesse Csincsak. Sadly, they parted ways in 2008, with her telling Csincsak she loved him but was not in love with him.

Interestingly, she later met Stephen, the twin brother of a contestant from Season 5 of the show. In 2011, DeAnnas married Stagliano in her home state of Georgia after he proposed in 2010 as a high school teacher. 

A source shared that they were "giddy with excitement," highlighting how incredibly happy she looked during that time. Shortly before filing for divorce in 2023, the estranged couple were spotted out in Los Angeles looking cordial.

More shocking was that the estranged duo renewed their wedding vows just months before their split in October 2022.

However, The Blast reported that the estranged couple had also been transparent about their relationship dynamics with their fans from the very start, acknowledging that marriage can be quite challenging.

In a blog post from 2018, the former reality television star shared that while their relationship demands effort, both she and her partner, Stephen, are dedicated to nurturing their marriage each day.

She added that they focused on co-parenting without adopting the roles of 'good cop' or 'bad cop' and made it a priority to communicate regularly. Their communication style reportedly helped them achieve the aim of spending quality time together daily.

Their family's commitment to their faith is central to their foundation, as the former reality star disclosed back then that they let their beliefs guide their actions.

Will the current feud between DeAnna Pappas and Stephen Stagliano become more severe?