Although he denies claims that he was still seeing her when he was wooing fourth-season The Bachelorette star DeAnna Pappas, Graham Bunn has acknowledged that he rekindled a pre-show relationship with All My Children actress Chrishell Stause after his reality show stint came to a close.
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"We had dated off and on before that, but the timing wasn't right. We stopped seeing each other in December," said Bunn about his relationship with Stause, People reported Tuesday. "[After The Bachelorette] we were out with friends... [and] sparks flew."
The 29-year-old former professional basketball player from Raleigh, NC and Stause stepped out together in public at the Monday premiere of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 in New York City.
"I'm very grateful and very flattered to be with this beautiful lady," Bunn told People about Stause. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world. She's just amazing."
Bunn said he and the 26-year-old -- who plays Amanda Dillon on the ABC soap -- initially met through a mutual friend.
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"I was immediately drawn and attracted to her," he told People. "She's a funny girl but we take our time."
Unlike Pappas -- who had a hard time getting Bunn to open up despite their obvious physical attraction -- Stause said she hasn't had a hard time connecting with the former fourth-season suitor on both romantic and physical levels.
"The relationship is new so it hasn't ever gotten cold. He's very romantic. For my birthday he did a special picnic in the park and set it up himself," she told People. "He's a really good boyfriend. He's very sweet. Anytime he acts up I say take your shirt off and just be quiet."
While Pappas may have presented her final rose and accepted a marriage proposal from Jesse Csincsak during The Bachelorette's fourth-season finale, Bunn said he's happy with the way things ended.
"I think I won, actually," he told People. "My life is a lot better. DeAnna decided to go in a different direction in her life. And hopefully that worked out for her... but it really worked out for me."
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Exactly when Bunn resumed his relationship with Stause remains unclear. Bunn had stated he wasn't currently dating anyone during a late June interview with Reality TV World.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio