Chris Randone and Krystal Nielson found their happily ever after! The Bachelor in Paradise stars opened up to Us Weekly exclusively after getting engaged on the season 5 finale on Tuesday, September 11.
“She’s been my rock. She has supported me 100 percent of the way,” the sales trainer, 30, told Us. “That makes me love her even more because I’ve always wanted a ride-or-die partner. I knew on Paradise that’s what she resembled based on certain situations. Now, seeing that translate into the real world and her having my back, it just makes me even more understanding of how great of a woman she is.”
Randone, who was considered a villain when he vied for Becca Kufrin’s heart on season 14 of The Bachelorette earlier this year, believes that his relationship with Nielson, 30, changed him.
“There’s a big transformation in Paradise,” he acknowledged. “She completely changed my path and direction. … She definitely opened my eyes, made me become more self-aware.”
The fitness coach, who previously competed on Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s season 22 of The Bachelor, is also grateful for her journey to love with Randone.
“I think I always sought out someone who was from the perfect family because it’s something I always wanted and I didn’t grow up with,” she told Us. “Talking with Chris, I realized that we both grew up without our fathers, with single moms who worked and hustled and weren’t able to be there, especially emotionally, in our childhood. … Chris made me really proud of who I was.”
Now that Paradise has come to an end, the couple are looking forward to moving in together, possibly somewhere in San Diego. They have also started discussing wedding plans.
“We’ve had conversations about marriage here in the foreseeable future,” Randone told Us. “Maybe 2019, maybe 2020. We don’t know, but what we do know is that it’s definitely something that we want and it’s definitely something that I couldn’t see myself with any other person.”
In the meantime, Randone and Nielson are figuring out their first public date night. “We haven’t had one yet! We’re dying to get out into the real world,” he said. “She deserves the best, so I always want to do things for her and be there for her. I’m so excited to go on a date.”
With reporting by Emily Marcus
