From roses to thorns. Vanessa Grimaldi opened up about her split from fiancé Nick Viall and revealed why she was scared to be single again after the pair called it quits.
“When I turned 30, Nick and I had just broken up,” Grimaldi, 30, explained on the Tuesday, May 1, episode of Dean Unglert’s Help! I Suck at Dating podcast. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I want kids. I want a family, I want all that stuff.’”
The No Better You founder felt nervous about finding someone after the high-profile breakup. “You start thinking and calculating and you’re like, ‘OK, it’s going to take me X amount of time to find someone, and when I do find someone, it’ll take me a year to get to know them and I want to have kids,’” she explained. “And it’s like, by the time I want to have a family, I’ll probably be, like, 35, 36.”
Grimaldi recalled being open to the idea of dating apps and matchmaking websites, although she eventually began her new relationship through other means. The special education teacher revealed on the podcast last month that she has a new man in her life eight months after she and Viall, 37, ended their engagement. Grimaldi noted that she knew her Canadian boyfriend prior to going on The Bachelor and they started off as friends.
“I don’t know where this is going to lead, but I do know I appreciate all his qualities,” she gushed at the time. “I feel like I’m a much better person when I’m with him. I’m just very lighthearted and I’m focused on the right things and I’m not distracted by the fake world that we could be a part of.”
Grimaldi seemingly discussed her new relationship on Tuesday’s episode, telling Unglert that she isn’t capable of casually dating many suitors simultaneously. “I think because I am the kind of person who doesn’t know who to date multiple people at the same time, if I like you, that means I can see a potential future with you,” she explained. “But I want to date you seriously. I’m agreeing to compromise on certain things, but I think the older you get, the more you know yourself and what you’re OK walking away from.”
The philanthropist won Viall’s affections on season 21 of The Bachelor. They got engaged during the finale, which aired in March 2017, but split five months later.
Meanwhile, the Dancing With the Stars alum confirmed to Us Weekly in January that he is “dating” again as well. Although he was briefly linked to January Jones, the Mad Men actress denied the relationship while speaking to Entertainment Tonight in February.
