The Bachelorette star Katie Thurston has admitted she's not sure if her relationship with Blake Moynes would have lasted had he decided not to propose marriage at the Final Rose Ceremony.
ADVERTISEMENT
Katie recently admitted she was totally shocked by Blake's marriage proposal and didn't see it coming.
But according to the Season 17 The Bachelorette star, she and Blake needed to get engaged in order to have a fighting chance in the real world.
RELATED LINK: GREG GRIPPO IS ALLEGEDLY A "SCHEMER" AND FAME-SEEKER WHO TRIED TO GET ON 'THE BACHELORETTE' FOR "YEARS"
When asked whether she'd be disappointed if Blake chose not to propose at the end of her season, Katie told Us Weekly in a joint interview with Blake, "There was a moment when I didn't think he was proposing. I was just happy to leave with him. I knew that was going to happen no matter what."
ADVERTISEMENT
However, Katie, 30, shared, "It's hard to say the impact of that in the real world, [if he didn't pop the question], because you go through so much and you want to take this very seriously -- and a proposal and engagement is very serious."
"I didn't come here to find a boyfriend. I can do that on a dating app," Katie added. "So it's hard to say if we would have survived just as a dating couple."
But Katie said her relationship with Blake, 31, is incredibly strong now that they've promised each other forever.
"The fact that we're both committed to each other as future husband and wife, it just says a lot about our confidence in our relationship," Katie said.
Blake apparently gives his The Bachelorette ex, Tayshia Adams, credit for proposing marriage to Katie.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Without her, I don't know how I would have gotten through that day, because as you could tell, I was a little bit stressed," Blake said, referring to the moment he was picking out a Neil Lane diamond engagement ring with Tayshia, who starred on The Bachelorette's sixteenth season last year.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Blake, who apparently maintained an excellent friendship with Tayshia after competing for her heart and losing to Zac Clark, explained how Tayshia had given him some sound advice going into the Final Rose Ceremony of Season 17.
"She just reminded me of the confidence and the boldness that I came in [with] and why I came here... You can start to overthink in that moment [of picking out a ring]," Blake revealed.
Blake admitted that without Tayshia's guidance, his head probably would've "kept spinning."
ADVERTISEMENT
"She was able to make valid points and then bring me back to what this was all about and why I came here in the first place," Blake noted.
After talking with Tayshia, Blake recalled getting dressed for the Final Rose Ceremony and having a moment alone to really think about things.
"[I was able to] take in everything, and there was no one in the room, no cameras," Blake shared with Us of the proposal day.
"And it just kind of settled in for me and I had to make a decision. And it just became very clear when you're getting ready and putting that tie on, like, 'This is it. I know it is.' And so I pulled the trigger."
But before Katie and Blake could cross the finish line into happily-ever-after, Katie was dumped by her apparent The Bachelorette frontrunner, Greg Grippo, who left the show because Katie had refused to provide him with the validation and reassurance he needed after hometown dates.
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Now that Katie and Blake can go public with their engagement, the couple is already receiving questions about their wedding. However, the couple told Us that they are in no rush to tie the knot, although Katie said she has "no doubt" marriage is in their future.
"At some point, there is certainly a wedding. There's no doubt about that," Katie acknowledged.
Katie and Blake also recently shared on Good Morning America that they're currently in the process of deciding where to live. Katie is getting a new place in San Diego, CA, and Blake has a home in Canada, and so they're going to try to enjoy both homes for the time being.
When Blake proposed marriage to Katie on last week's The Bachelorette finale, he said being Katie's last man standing felt like a fairy-tale and they had a connection that initially seemed too good to be true.
"I know how great of a wife you're going to be and mother you're going to be. But I know there's things that scare you," Blake told Katie.
"I know that you in the past have talked about how you've had to compromise who you are to make relationships work, and I don't want you to do that. But I can't give you what you came her for."
"Because you deserve a lot more than that. You deserve the world, and I'm excited to support you and be there for you every day moving forward... Will you marry me?"
Katie shouted in reply, "Yes!"
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!