Katie Rost & Her Ex Were Like Romcom Protagonists

The Real Housewives of Potomac has been on fire throughout its first season — what a ridiculously fun group of class-obsessed ladies. I look forward to hopefully seeing this cast back again for another season, especially Katie Rost, who is the high-society philanthropist of my dreams. And, even though she's been starting over with a new life, the story of how Katie Rost met her ex-husband, James Orsini, is super interesting. The marriage may have been brief, but these two actually have a very romantic story. Not all whirlwind romances last forever, but the first few years of their love affair, these two were like the protagonists of a romantic comedy. Their wedding announcement was even written up in The Washington Post.

According to that announcement, the first time Katie met James Orsini, they were both students at Boston University. Orsini was working on the degree that would eventually lead to him becoming a doctor, while Katie became a model. According to The Washington Post, "as Boston University freshmen in the fall of 1997, Orsini and Rost were paired up to write a speech for their rhetoric class." So, Katie and James knew one another when they were still teens, but they didn't get together right away. It would actually be 13 years until things changed.

Also according to the Post, "In September 2010, Orsini had a two-week break before beginning his residency program at New York University. He invited Rost to join him on a road trip up the California coast, starting in Santa Barbara. By the time they reached Big Sur, their friendship had turned to love."

Now there's a move literally right out of an iconic romantic comedy, When Harry Met Sally.

A relationship quickly followed, and Katie and James lived together in New York City while James worked at NYU and Katie was a model. She still does some modeling now, but, back then, she was a lot edgier than the more conservative patrician you see on RHOP (but her wicked and occasionally inappropriate sense of humor makes a lot more sense now). Now, as a single mom, she spends a lot more time taking care of her three kids and running her charity, the Ronald F. Rost Foundation.

And, considering that it took James and Katie over a decade to go from friends to romance, their engagement happened in a flash — after reconnecting in 2010, they got married in 2012, according to Bravo. A passionate affair that quickly goes from friendship to marriage in less than two years again, sounds like the creation of a romcom writer. And, in their wedding photo, Katie and James look like the Hollywood versions of themselves. Think how much everyone must have been swooning over the romance of it all: Two college sweethearts, finally tying the knot after realizing their true feelings for one another. Roll credits!

But, of course, real life doesn't follow the same pattern as a romantic comedy, and their marriage sadly did not last. Though, it's worth noting that when Katie left her ex-husband while a few months pregnant with her twin daughters, it followed the plot of one of my personal favorite unconventional romantic comedies, Nora Ephron and Mike Nichols' Heartburn. Watch it if you want to see a completely badass Meryl Streep strike out on her own and leave her marriage behind with her a one year-old baby.

While her first marriage may have been a cinema-worthy whirlwind, Katie's current relationship with Andrew Martin, which has been a huge part of Real Housewives of Potomac Season 1 was set up by none other than Katie's mother, according to an interview Katie did with OK! Magazine. And, her mom proved to be a good matchmaker, since it seems like her daughter is more than ready to get hitched for the second time.

Katie's relationship with her ex James Orsini may have ended, but it's how well she's landed after realizing the relationship wasn't working out that makes her not just an entertaining part of RHOP, but admirable.

Image: Larry French/Bravo; Giphy (2)