The Golden Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise alum Faith Martin has hard launched her new relationship.
Faith recently took to Instagram and posted a carousel of photos with her new man in which he was kissing her on the cheek and they were hugging and posing in front of a Christmas tree.
Faith, 63, captioned her post, “To all the women who think they can’t bear the loneliness of being by themselves and end up settling with a partner that’s not quite their RIGHT person… I’m here to tell you it’s worth the wait to hold out for the one who is EVERYTHING to you! [Heart emoji].︔
Faith chose not to identify her new boyfriend, but his daughter, Gillian Bozada, left a sweet comment on her post.
“WOW, IT’S OFFICIAL!!! [Heart-eyes emoji]. Dad couldn’t stop gushing about you the whole time he was here visiting us in Arizona!” Gillian shared.
“Every path, every hardship you’ve both been through, every season of growth, it was all meant to be [heart emoji] because it led you to each other. So happy for you two and to see Dad with reignited hope and excitement [cardinal and fire emojis].”
Faith’s fellow Bachelor Nation stars also congratulated the happy couple on finding love again.
Alexe Godin commented, “Awe this makes me so happy [heart-eyes emojis].”
Gerry Turner wrote, “So happy for you!! Enjoy every minute like it’s your last.”
Theresa Nist gushed, “I cannot even begin to tell you how incredibly happy I am for you, Faith!!! You look so happy and so beautiful together!! How absolutely wonderful! [Revolving-hearts emojis].”
And Leslie Fhima added, “Omg!! Im so over the moon happy for you!!! [Heart emojis].”
Faith was previously linked to Kim Buike, whom she had dated on Bachelor in Paradise’s tenth season this past summer in Costa Rica. When the lovebirds returned to the U.S., Kim visited Faith in her hometown in August.
That same month, Kim posted a montage of moments from his stint on Bachelor in Paradise via Instagram.
Alongside the footage, most of which featured Faith, Kim wrote, “When you know, you know,” which seemed to suggest the pair was still dating.
The pair’s reunion fueled speculation they were an official couple, but Faith confirmed they weren’t together in September.
Alongside a video taken at her farm, Faith wrote to her followers, “I just got off the phone with Kim not too long ago, and I think it’s safe to say that we are allowed to say what’s going on with us, right? So we talk sometimes two to three times a week. He lives five-and-a-half hours away.”
Faith went on to confirm, “The point is this: we are not an ‘in love’ couple. Nope, we are not. We never fell in love.”
Faith clarified that while she and Kim “had a great connection on the show,” it didn’t last in the real world.
“[Bachelor in Paradise] was a ton of fun and I loved every minute of it, but we had our time. We kind of got matched together because of the situation, and I really appreciate that he gave me a rose,” Faith said.
“And I appreciate the fact that we had a little bit of time to explore our connection, which was definitely genuine. We had a great time and we really care about each other. But are we each other’s person? I think he and I both agree no.”
Faith insisted that neither of them were “heartbroken” by this outcome.
“We are rooting for each other’s happiness and finding our own person, if that time ever comes,” Faith noted.
“I’m actually fairly content just the way I am… Thank you all for caring. We love you. It’s super sweet that you all cared enough to write us and cheer us on and all that. We had a great time on Bachelor in Paradise.”
Faith called Kim “a great guy” and told her friends that he was available.
“So you ladies, hit him up, okay?! I’m sure he’s got plenty of ladies, but he really showed me a unique side that maybe you would not have seen otherwise. He is a very wonderful man and I care about him a lot,” she shared.
But Faith admitted that she felt Kim was simply not her “forever person.”
She continued, “And there’s nothing wrong with that. And that is the deal with us women is that we’ve got to be open to those connections and, you know, take a chance to get to know somebody because it’s really easy for us to just discount everyone and not go out at all.”
Faith explained how it was “a safe space on the show” and that’s why she had pursued Kim.
“That’s why I took advantage of it, but in real life, I’m not quite as brave. But we’ll see! We’ll see what happens! Anyway, we wanted to update you on that. So hit him up in his DMs if you’re interested!” she said.
Hours later, Faith confirmed that she and Kim were still “great friends” who spoke often.
Faith also insisted she didn’t “regret one single second” of her romance with Kim.
“I really think it’s important to explore your own emotions and your own things that are going on with you. And I wasn’t sure that I wasn’t just repeating patterns in thinking that Kim isn’t somebody I’d be interested in, and so I’m really glad that I got to explore that connection and see,” Faith explained.
“But ultimately, yeah, I don’t feel like he’s my person and isn’t that really what it’s all about? We want to find that best friend that we’re crazily attracted to. We want chemistry and we want everything else too. And why shouldn’t we have that, right? Why shouldn’t we?”
Faith explained how a lot of women in her “age category” would need to find Mr. Right in order to make a lifestyle change truly worth it.
“We’re perfectly content doing our own thing until when — and if — the time comes that you actually feel compelled to make room in your life for somebody else,” Faith said.
“And unless you feel so compelled to really want to jump through hoops to see that person and to spend time with that person, that would be the good indicator that that is your person. And if you’re not, then well, you know, that’s just somebody that you’ve got a great connection with that who you appreciate — but a little more from afar.”
Faith concluded, “So, that’s the deal! And I just don’t want you to feel sad for us because we’re both very, very happy.”
Faith and Kim had paired up on Bachelor in Paradise this summer and definitely made a connection.
After a steamy makeout session, both Faith and Kim seemed convinced that they had found the real deal in each other.
Faith and Kim proceeded to compete as a team for Bachelor in Paradise’s prize of $500,000.
However, a Bachelor in Paradise twist required the cast to vote to eliminate one man (and ultimately his partner) from the show following a relationship-compatibility test, which resulted in Faith and Kim’s ouster.
Because Kim was struggling with health issues and had to wear a heart monitor around the resort, most of the cast determined he should go home and take care of himself.
Kim and Faith were pretty bummed out when their time in Bachelor in Paradise was over, but they appeared to leave the show as a couple ready to put in the work and figure things out.
