The Bachelorette alum Ashley Hebert and her boyfriend have taken the next step in their relationship.

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Ashley, who starred on The Bachelorette's seventh season, shared the news that she has a new boyfriend in late October 2021, which was right around the time she finalized her divorce from ex-husband and The Bachelorette winner J.P. Rosenbaum.

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It appears Ashley's new romance is getting serious, because she just revealed that her mystery beau -- whose name she has yet to identify -- has met her two children: son Fordham, 7, and daughter Essex, 5.

"They have [met him]," Ashley, 37, told her Instagram followers in a Tuesday Q&A session on her Instagram.

"I introduced him after about nine months...as one of my friends. Not sure how this happened, but they thought he was their babysitter."

She added with crying-laughing emoticons, "They said he was the best babysitter ever. Lol."

Ashley said she has been dating this man for almost a year now, which she admitted "sounds crazy."

"I spent the first 4-5 months in denial about the relationship," Ashley told a fan during the Q&A. "That's prob why it went by so fast. LOL."

J.P., 44, filed for divorce in Miami-Dade County in Florida on July 28, 2021, according to court records obtained by E! News.

J.P. previously told the website there was "no fighting" as they proceeded with a divorce and they would remain "friendly" in order to co-parent their two kids.

"It's 100% Perfectly ok to NOT have all the answers, to NOT know what the future holds, to be afraid, to have anxiety, to feel uneasy about anything and everything," J.P. wrote on Instagram in August shortly after filing for divorce.

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J.P. told his followers to "embrace the unknown" and "live your life."

When Ashley announced she has a new boyfriend in October, she said J.P. had not met him yet, but the situation may have changed since then.

After all, Ashley assured her fans around that time that she'd be careful whom she introduces to her children and J.P. would meet a significant man in her life before the kids do.

"I'm pretty sure my kids don't understand what dating is," Ashley noted. "If I am serious enough with someone, they will meet JP first, then the kids. But wow, I don't feel ready for that yet!"

While Ashley appears happy and moved on from her marriage, she apparently isn't sure she'd like to walk down the aisle again.

Ashley said last year that "marriage complicates things" and she would "rather just love someone and choose to be with them."

When asked whether she and J.P. were still "friends" in October -- considering the pair had just reunited for Ford's birthday party -- Ashley responded, "Define friends?"

"We communicate as necessary for the well-being of our children! He still never laughs at my jokes," she added.

Ashley also said last summer that she's "all for" J.P. meeting someone new and she'd like for him to find a partner who will make him happy.

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"If JP introduces someone to me, that means it's serious. I would be very happy for him. Honestly," Ashley insisted. "If JP is happy that means my kids are around someone that is bright, uplifting, loving, etc etc."

After all, Ashley admitted she and J.P. had broken up in part because they "see the cup differently."

"I lost a huge part of what I loved about myself towards the end of my marriage," Ashley said after announcing the breakup. "I feel like myself again. Don't have an explanation for it tho."

Ashley and J.P. first announced in October 2020 they had decided to split up and "separate ways" after nearly eight years of marriage.

"It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that, after months of separation, JP and I have amicably decided to go our separate ways," Ashley captioned a photo of the couple in happier times on Instagram.

"We created the most beautiful children and shared memories that will never be forgotten. Our differences have taken a toll on our relationship and after years of attempting to repair the damage, we've decided that it is in our family's best interest to create new and separate lives for our children."

According to J.P.'s Instagram posting, The Bachelorette couple had already been separated for months prior to their big announcements.

"I have written and rewritten this post dozens of times and each time I feel the same level of disbelief and extreme sadness," J.P. wrote on Instagram around this same time last year.

"While I realize that this will come as a complete shock to everyone, I can assure you that this is something that has been developing in our relationship for quite a while. It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that after months of separation, Ashley and I have amicably decided to live our lives apart from one another."

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In his posting, J.P. also insisted the couple had done "absolutely everything" they could to save their marriage and they've had irreconcilable differences for years.

"Please please please know that there is no one to blame, that there's no event that triggered this decision, that no one is the victim, and that we've done absolutely everything we possibly can to try to salvage this marriage," he wrote.

"I think we've both come to realize that we are just two very different people, with very different personalities and perspectives, who just don't see eye to eye on a lot life fundamentals, those which are the building blocks for a happy and healthy marriage."

The Bachelorette couple's split announcement came two years after Ashley and J.P. had renewed their wedding vows in a beachfront ceremony in Aruba in August 2018.

Ashley originally appeared on Season 15 of The Bachelor starring Brad Womack and then became The Bachelorette's seventh-season star.

Ashley ended up selecting J.P. over her runner-up, Ben Flajnik, at The Bachelorette season's Final Rose Ceremony for Season 7 in Fiji.

J.P. proposed marriage to Ashley in the finale that aired on ABC in Summer 2011, and the couple got married in December 2012 in a ceremony that was also televised.

The Bachelorette couple welcomed Fordham in September 2014 and Essex Reese in November 2016.

In 2017, Ashley and J.P. also appeared on Season 7 of Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars.

During their Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars appearance, Ashley voiced her frustration with J.P.'s "tunnel vision with work" while J.P. found Ashley's inability to put him first "reprehensible."

In addition, Ashley and J.P. were shown disagreeing on parenting approaches.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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