The Bachelor star Zach Shallcross has admitted it wasn't always easy with Kaity Biggar after they filmed their engagement and their relationship has already been tested in the real world.
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On The Bachelor's Season 27 finale that aired Monday night on ABC, Zach rejected his runner-up Gabi Elnicki, leaving her devastated and "humiliated," and ultimately got engaged to his winner, Kaity, during the Final Rose Ceremony that filmed in Thailand.
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Zach and Kaity confirmed live on The Bachelor: After the Final Rose that they're still together and happy, and they said they'll be moving in together in Austin, TX, this summer.
But the couple's road to publicly announcing their engagement was a little bit of a bumpy one.
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"It's not like it's been super easy the whole time," Zach told People in a joint interview with Kaity.
"But we have grown stronger and overcome some tough things together, and we've come out better and stronger for it at the end. And that's something that I'm so appreciative of. It just makes our relationship so loving and strong."
Kaity agreed with her fiance, pointing out how watching back the Fantasy Suite episode in particular -- which featured Zach admitting he had slept with Gabi -- was troubling.
"The episode didn't go the way that I thought it was going to," Kaity confessed.
"It was a hurdle," she added, "we got through it and I'm proud of us for doing that."
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It was also apparently difficult for the couple to keep their engagement a secret for months considering The Bachelor had wrapped filming in Fall 2022.
Zach referred to that period of time as "brutal."
"We made the best of it though," Kaity insisted. "Our relationship's grown so much outside of filming, for sure."
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Kaity and Zach's relationship even managed to survive all of the drama that aired on The Bachelor's 27th season.
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"Watching a relationship unfold on TV and the drama in the show and all of that stuff really can put challenges and pressure on a relationship," Zach explained.
Zach said he and Kaity constantly checked in with each other throughout the season, noting that reliving the past was "tough" and "a weird experience."
The pair has also faced Internet trolls, and based on seasons past, those people won't be letting up any time soon.
"Obviously you garner opinions from everyone -- the Internet, fans -- but family and friends are always helping us through and have our back on both of our sides," Zach gushed. "Both Kaity's family and my family, they're really rooting for us."
As for what's next for Kaity and Zach, Zach plans to back up his belongings in California and head back to Austin, TX, where Kaity also recently moved on her own.
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"I can't wait to get in Austin," Zach said, adding that he's looking forward to seeing his family and friends "in person daily."
"I've been itching to get back. With filming, it's kept me in L.A. and California -- it's cool and all, but it's no Austin. I can't wait to spend [time] with Kaity and just be out in public."
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While The Bachelor has been airing, Kaity and Zach had to be "quite isolated" and only go out in public if they were wearing disguises.
"We [couldn't] go to a coffee shop... to a restaurant or anything like that," Kaity recalled.
"We've seen each other quite a few times and we get these happy couple weekends. I've never gotten sick of him, so it's been great. All I want is more time with him. When he gets to Austin, we're just going to try and live this normal life that we've been wanting to for so long. We're super excited."
Zach said it will be "the start of the new chapter in life" and he's excited that it's "right around the corner."
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