In paradise, there's always more than what meets the eye.
Ever since appearing on Bachelor in Paradise in 2019, Caelynn Miller-Keyes and Dean Unglert's romance has played out in the public eye. While their relationship has been filled with roses—and maybe even a few thorns—the pair is celebrating nothing but love as an engaged couple.
"I think our relationship, Bachelor specific, is the most misunderstood relationship," Caelynn shared with E! News in an exclusive interview. "I think in part is to do with Dean and the way that he says things on his podcast. He just likes to be silly sometimes."
At the same time, Caelynn is the first to admit their relationship wasn't always a fairytale.
"He broke up with me on my birthday," she said when recalling her dramatic Bachelor in Paradise season. "And honestly, I have never felt heartbreak quite like that in my life. They didn't show it, but I was so distraught and thank goodness I never have to go through that again. I'm marrying him."
But after Dean returned to the set of ABC's reality show to fight for Caelynn, the pair chose to give their relationship another chance—with results that exceeded their expectations.
"When we first start dating, we didn't think this was gonna last past maybe a few months," she said. "Through the years, we have grown to trust and love each other and more so be open to the idea of marriage and now family."
To this day, Caelynn remembers the comments from fans who questioned her relationship and why Dean chose to live in a van. For the record, they now share a home in Las Vegas and hope to move to Denver, Colo., in the future.
"It's just so frustrating when people run with things that aren't true or people just make up things about your relationship," she said. "I've gotten past it for the most part. In the beginning, it was hard. And then I thought, ‘Why do I care?' and I had to let it go."
Now, Caelynn is enjoying every moment as a fiancé. After Dean delivered a surprise Hawaii proposal in October, the 27-year-old is focused less on wedding planning and more on celebrating this chapter in her love story.
"It's such a unique time in our lives and everyone I know that's now married says, ‘Just enjoy this moment,'" Caelynn said. "We're in this blissful time where we just love each other so much. We're excited for the rest of our lives. I can't believe it happened because of reality TV. It's pretty wild."
She also is exploring the world of podcasts with her new iHeartRadio series titled True Crime Reality. Each week, Caelynn will be joined by a reality star as they dive deep into the details of a crime they're connected to.
"I really love true crime podcasts," she said. "I feel like we're in a true crime obsessed time in our lives and I also love reality TV. So I figured why not mesh the two together? There are so many crime podcasts out there. It can get a bit repetitive, so this is just a little twist on that."
iHeartPodcasts' True Crime Reality is available on the iHeartRadio app and anywhere podcasts are heard.