There apparently might have been some truth to earlier rumors of Andy Baldwin and Marla Maples being a romantic item.
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The former The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman star and Donald Trump's ex-wife have been "quietly dating" since the 31-year-old Naval doctor recently returned from a military mission in Palau, a "source" told Us Weekly in a Wednesday report.
The couple "took a romantic getaway" over Easter weekend on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, Us reported.
"On Easter morning, Andy and Marla helped kids at [the Four Seasons Hotel] search for Easter eggs and they had a great time," the source told Us.
If accurate, Us' report that Baldwin is "quietly dating" Maples would appear to contradict what The Bachelor host Chris Harrison had told viewers during a January 15 broadcast of TV Guide Network's Hollywood 411.
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During the broadcast, Harrison -- who also hosts Hollywood 411 -- said he had spoken with Baldwin on the phone late on the night of January 11 and the former The Bachelor star had stated that despite recent reports, he was not dating Maples.
Baldwin presumably felt the need to quell rumors of a romantic relationship with Maples -- who was wed to Trump from 1993 to 1999 -- when photographs of the two ice skating and holding hands on December 30 at New York City's Wollman Rink surfaced earlier this year.
Baldwin's conversation with Harrison had apparently taken place only hours after In Touch Weekly had reported Maples had "fallen" for Baldwin and he had begun "romancing" her.
"Marla is a great woman and I can't wait to spend more time with her in the future," In Touch had quoted Baldwin as saying in a report posted in its website on January 11. "She's smart, sexy and very genuine."
Baldwin presented his final rose and also proposed marriage to Tessa Horst during Officer and a Gentleman's pre-taped finale broadcast last May. Horst accepted both the rose and the proposal and told reporters after the finale broadcast that she planned to relocate to Hawaii in "the next few months."
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The couple announced the end of their engagement last August but insisted they were still very much a romantic item. Although they didn't reveal any specifics at the time, the pair had cited the possibility of an end to Baldwin's Pearl Harbor assignment as the reason behind Horst's decision to cancel her plan to relocate to Hawaii.
Last November, Baldwin said the Navy SEALS unit he works with was being deployed to Bahrain, an island kingdom in the Persian Gulf. However at the time he stated that he and Horst still "love each other very much" and were trying to keep their private life private.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio