The Bachelorette alum Katie Thurston has revealed she's looking for a guy who won't be "intimidated" by her career and celebrity status.
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Katie, 32, was briefly engaged to her The Bachelorette seventeenth-season winner Blake Moynes in 2021, and then she dated one of her Week 2 eliminees from the show, San Diego bartender John Hersey, for about six months until she announced their split in June 2022.
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Katie has been single ever since, and she apparently knows what she wants in her next boyfriend.
"[I want] someone who isn't [intimidated] by my life or personality," Katie wrote during a Friday Q&A session via Instagram Stories, according to Us Weekly.
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"I'm pretty independent so bonus points if I feel taken care of by him, that's when my feminine energy shines."
Katie played coy about her current relationship status.
When an Instagram user asked if she's "dating," Katie replied with a selfie of herself shrugging her shoulders.
Katie sparked rumors she's hooking up or romantically involved with The Circle Season 3 alum Nick Uhlenhuth after the pair posted photos on social media of them celebrating New Year's Eve together and with friends.
"I used to hate having a birthday so close to the New Year but now I love it! It's this full circle moment each year that marks a brand new chapter," Katie captioned a slideshow of black-and-white photos from her big night out in San Diego, CA, including one with Nick.
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"Im excited to be 32 in 2023. In my gut, I just know, this is going to be one hell of a year and I'm so excited! My 2023 mantra: Watch me."
Nick, for his part, also uploaded several pictures from the party, and one image featured Nick and the former The Bachelorette star dancing together.
"#NewYearsEve I couldn't be more stoked for 2023. I truly think it's gonna be an incredible year of personal growth and adventure. Buckle up!!!" Nick wrote at the time.
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Katie noticeably commented on Nick's post, "Starting off 2023 with a bang."
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According to a TikTok user, Katie and Nick shared a kiss in one photo that wasn't posted on either of their Instagram accounts.
"My thirties and being single have truly been my favorite," Katie told another follower in her Instagram Q&A. "My only timeline is happiness and I do that well on my own."
Katie reportedly said on Friday that she's not "worrying" about outside pressure to settle down by a certain age.
"Timelines don't exist," Katie noted. "It's your universe. Own it."
In August 2022, Katie shared during an episode of the "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" podcast that she had no interest in looking for love on another reality dating show, whether it be on ABC or any other channel or streaming platform.
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"I don't think so," Katie noted. "I think reality TV can be fun, but dating in reality? No."
Katie added, "The Bachelor franchise, I am not dipping into that pool anymore."
"Why?" asked Kaitlyn Bristowe, who got engaged to Shawn Booth at the end of The Bachelorette's eleventh season and is now engaged to The Bachelorette 14 alum Jason Tartick.
"I don't want to generalize that much, but it's a certain type, you know what I mean?" Katie explained.
"They're all, to a certain extent, they're either a certain type or the show changes them a little bit -- and then they become a certain type."
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Kaitlyn's co-host suggested men in Bachelor Nation are "thirsty," and Katie agreed, "You said it!"
"But, you know, I've already done it twice. I'm just not interested," Katie elaborated. "There have been some that have slid into my DM's, and talking to them, it's so cringy."
Katie refused to share who had DM'd her in order to "respect their boundaries and privacy."
Katie said she knows "for sure" that the people mixed up with The Bachelor franchise are "too interchangeable."
"I can't explain it," Katie admitted. "I feel like I'm so open [otherwise]."
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Katie also revealed she was actually "very, very excited" to be single.
"I'm just focusing on myself, truly. Am I open to finding someone? Sure, I hope so. But it's not a priority," Katie shared at the time.
Katie also told Kaitlyn that her future partner must love animals and be confident and secure in who he is and what he brings to the table, especially given her background of having dated 30 guys on television.
Katie's The Bachelorette season ended with her getting engaged to Blake, a wildlife manager, but the pair announced their breakup in October 2021 after less than six months together.
Katie and John, who were very close friends before they became lovers, then went Instagram official in November 2021.
Katie had faced backlash for moving on from Blake too quickly with a "rebound," but both Katie and John denied any wrongdoing in the press, and Katie insisted she never emotionally or physically cheated on Blake.
John even posted a long Reddit message to fans in late 2021 defending his romance with Katie, saying their connection was innocent and they had the best of intentions and utmost respect for Blake.
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Katie allowed John to move into her apartment in Spring 2022, and then Katie announced a couple of months later in June that their relationship was over.
"Statement: no we aren't together," Katie wrote on Instagram Stories, declining to provide any details or specifics.
John confirmed his split from Katie shortly afterwards.
He wrote in an Instagram statement: "I love being able to share special moments with you all -- the funny ones. The happy ones. The outrageous, embarrassing, and heartfelt ones. But I don't know if it will ever get easier to share the sad ones."
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"As Katie stated earlier, we are no longer dating. This decision was not made lightly, and it was obviously not an easy one to make," he continued.
"I appreciate every one of you that has supported us throughout this journey. We could not (and would not) be here without you."
Katie later shared in a Q&A session with fans how her breakup was "complicated," adding, "At the end of the day, you just want the person you love to be happy and you support whatever path they want to take to find that."
Katie told Kaitlyn on her podcast that John was actually the one who dumped her, and she suggested it was going to be difficult for them to remain friends after the split.
Prior to starring on The Bachelorette, Katie competed on Matt James' season of The Bachelor.
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