Cuffing season confirmation? Fans are convinced Ashley Darby and Luke Gulbranson solidified their rumored romance with a snowed-in photo.
“The definition of a winter wonderland ❄️ I didn’t know I missed snow so much! Thank you for showing me the beauty of Minnesota! ♥️ @lukegulbranson,” the Real Housewives of Potomac star, 34, captioned a festive snap with the Winter House personality, 38, on Tuesday, December 20, after weeks of speculation about their relationship.
In the sweet selfie, the duo were bundled up in winter gear as they posed outside in the snow — and the cozy photo quickly turned heads.
“Ok so is this your boyfriend?” Robyn Dixon commented, while Cynthia Bailey gushed: “Y’all are so dang cute!❤️.”
Even the official Bravo Instagram account got in on the fun, teasing, “LUKE HAS ENTERED THE GRID,” in the comments section.
One day prior, Darby teased that she was “having a really good time” with Gulbranson in the Midwest. “It’s so great,” she gushed on the “Mention It All” podcast on Monday, December 19. “Meeting Luke’s family and his friends has also been really cool.”
Darby and the actor sparked dating rumors months after the yoga guru announced her split from husband Michael Darby in April. “We have decided to separate. We are aware that there will be many speculative views as to why we have made this decision,” Ashley explained in a statement at the time. “People will be quick to assume that the causes were too much intrusion by reality TV into the most personal parts of our lives, age gap issues, cultural problems, or child-rearing differences. Pieces of all these may have affected our pure love for each other, but no one reason is the root cause of our mutual decision to go our separate ways.”
The twosome were married for eight years and share two children: Dean, 3, and Dylan, 21 months. While sharing an update on her breakup at BravoCon in October, Ashley revealed that she had not yet filed for divorce due to Virginia state law. (Couples with children must live separately for at least one year before filing for an uncontested divorce.)
Ahead of the convention, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that Ashley was “putting herself out there” post-split. “[She’s] eager to meet someone who she can see a future with,” the insider noted in October. “She’s always looking for friends to set her up on dates.”
That same month, sparks seemingly flew between Ashley and the Summer House star. “We hung out last night,” the Housewife teased during the RHOP panel on the final day of BravoCon after confessing on an episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen that she’s “attracted” to Gulbranson. “We, like, hung out off the reserve.”
Ashley played coy about the crossover romance while chatting with Us at the event, confirming that she and Gulbranson exchanged phone numbers. “He’s a really nice guy and he’s very cute. That helps a lot,” she said at the time.
While discussing the big changes in her life on “Mention It All,” the reality star explained how RHOP helped her prepare for the public response to her divorce. “I have had enough opposition, if you will, where people have disliked me for something I’ve said, or they’ve disagreed with something that I’ve said,” she pointed out on Monday. “So, I really built up a tolerance for really just living my own life.”
Ashley continued: “While I appreciate that there’s an outpouring of support, ultimately, I do live in a bit of a bubble when it comes to my personal life, when it comes to my children, my family, my marriage. All of that, I keep very close to my chest.”
