Journey Guitarist Speaks Out About Romance With Michaele Salahi: "It's Like A Fairy Tale"

Photos Courtesy of Bravo, Barb Keim/Journey

Journey guitarist Neal Schon and Michaele Salahi have taken over headlines this week, ever since the former Real Housewives of D.C. star was reported as kidnapped by her now estranged husband Tareq.

In reality, she ran off with Neal, and Tareq has been actively slamming the two in the media since. Now, Neal and Michaele are saying their piece in an interview with The Daily Beast.

Michaele says she was "going crazy" with Tareq -- and without Neal. Neal says of their romance:

“It’s like a fairy tale. It is, it really is. I’m very happy, very happy after waiting for her for 15 years. Now I want to get beyond all this media hype that Tareq has put out there. It’s really quite embarrassing."

Neal, 57, and Michaele, 46, dated in the late '90s -- she was dating Tareq (left, in a Bravo photo) at the same time. Michaele says she chose Tareq because she saw a more stable future with him than with a rock star.

But she and Neal began communicating again in secret a few months ago. Then, Neal sent Tareq and Michaele tickets to a Journey concert in Virginia over Labor Day weekend.

While backstage, Tareq took photos of the group. Then, when he left the room, Michaele confessed her love for Neal. Tareq has filed for divorce.