The Bachelorette star Michelle Young has shut down breakup rumors plaguing her relationship with Nayte Olukoya.
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While Michelle noted that she typically avoids commenting directly on speculation via her social-media platforms, she decided it was necessary to make a statement amid all the chatter about her romance, People reported.
Michelle, who said she's received "so many messages" from concerned fans, explained to her followers, "There is a video circulating of me on a rooftop this weekend and I'm not wearing my engagement ring."
"And what I will have to say is to the person who is paying close enough attention to catch that moment," she continued, "you also had to be paying close enough attention to see one of my friends briefly remove my engagement ring to try it on and then place it back on my finger."
Michelle added, "Just a friendly reminder that Nayte and I, we are human beings -- not a zoo exhibit."
Michelle also pointed out how someone "videoing somebody without them knowing is creepy" and "not cool."
For his part, Nayte joked on TikTok about how "90 percent" of his DMs on Instagram are fans questioning why Michelle isn't with him.
Michelle and Nayte got engaged on The Bachelorette's Season 18 finale last year, which aired in December 2021, but the couple is still living apart and trying to make a long-distance relationship work.
Michelle -- who is living in Minneapolis, MN, and Nayte, who currently resides in Austin, TX -- were therefore asked about their future plans during the May 10 episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast, which is co-hosted by Michelle and Season 14 The Bachelorette alum Becca Kufrin.
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Michelle explained that she and Nayte have begun talking about moving in together and settling down now that she's able to take a break from "traveling so much" following trips to New York, Los Angeles, Mexico, and Canada.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW"I feel like [us moving in together] is the burning question. Every time I do a Q&A online, everyone is like, 'Why haven't you moved in yet? When are you moving in together?'" the former elementary school teacher said.
"And really, it's just that we're trying to figure out where we want to be and what location we want to be at. It's just a constant, ongoing conversation and kind of depends [on] what next year is going to look like for me."
Michelle said at the time she wasn't sure whether she'd return to the classroom or try to do something new.
"He's working remotely but they might be going back into the office," Michelle said of Nayte.
"So we're kind of just taking both of our positions into consideration, and then once the school year is done, I think I'm going to have a better idea of where I'm going to be, and then we're going to kind of cater to that... and figure it out together."
But Michelle announced on the May 31 episode of "Bachelor Happy Hour" that she's been in "survival mode" and so she's going to take a break from teaching and "step out of the classroom" for 2023.
The Bachelor family gifted Michelle and Nayte a down payment on their first house together following her The Bachelorette season. (Michelle was caught whispering to Nayte on The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose that the check was for $200,000).
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
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"Nayte and I, we know so many different people and we have such big families and that's a huge part of [our planning process]," Michelle told Us Weekly.
"And so coming out of a pandemic... one thing that we both can't imagine is having a small wedding," the Minnesota native added, "and so we want to make sure that we're completely clear of that so that's not even a stressor for us, and then, [we want to have] warm weather [on our big day]."
Michelle assured the magazine that although she and Nayte live apart, they're in constant communication.
"If we're not hanging out, we're texting [or] FaceTiming. We do a lot of movie nights like over FaceTime or Zoom. We've been making it work," Michelle noted, adding, "When we are together, we just spent time together like nonstop."
Nayte previously told Us that he and Michelle would like to marry in the summer, and so it appears they won't be tying the knot until at least Summer 2023.
"We're definitely feeling it all out," Nayte said, before Michelle revealed they'll live together "eventually."
After getting engaged last year, Nayte revealed on After the Final Rose that he had planned to move to Minnesota in the next two or three months and the lovebirds had already begun house-hunting.
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Michelle gushed to People in December 2021 about how she and Nayte "have fun together" and can have deep conversations about controversial issues and more.
"We vent to each other, we check each other and make sure that we're positive," Michelle said. "We dance, sing, goof around, all of it."
Nayte echoed that sentiment and noted how their relationship just "flows" effortlessly.
"I've never met anybody even, like, remotely close to him because he just has so many layers," Michelle shared of her fiance at the time. "And even now, like on a daily basis, I'm like, 'What did I do to deserve this? How did I get lucky?'"
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Michelle also told People, "I fall more in love every day."
"I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family with a healthy marriage and I thought, 'I'm not going to give up until I have that.' He's my person," she said. "And I didn't know I could love at this level."
And Nayte said he believes their relationship is going to last because they have the type of love everyone searches for.
"Every day, we'll just catch each other in just this, like, flow of emotion," Nayte said last year.
"It's just like, 'Holy crap, we are each other's. This is our life. This is actually forever.' We actually have a connection that is forever."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
