Dog the Bounty Hunter star Duane “Dog” Chapman is in love again, all thanks to his new fiance, Francie Frane. In a new interview this week, Chapman said Frane has helped him stay healthy since the two got engaged in May and are looking to get married soon. Frane and Chapman both believe their previous spouses would be happy with their decision to tie the knot again.
After Beth Chapman died in June 2019 at age 51, following a battle with throat and lung cancers, Chapman, 67, said he would never marry again. But earlier this year, he shocked fans by announcing his engagement to Frane, 50. When the Daily Mail asked him what changed, Chapman was not shy. “Well, Francie is a Christian and unless you marry you can’t uh… be nice,” he said. More seriously though, Chapman said he could never have predicted meeting someone like Frane.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“What changed was I had no idea I was going to meet someone like Francie because a rancher was not in my black book,” Chapman said. Frane then set some ground rules, including going to church, “eating grass and weeds” and quitting smoking. He also had to “quit using the A-word every other sentence. And you just got to get your heart rate because maybe someday you’ll be gone.” Beth would laugh at all the changes he has made, Chapman added.
According to Frane, Chapman has stuck to the changes. He wears nicotine patches and is smoking three packs a day. She believes her late husband Bob, who also died from cancer, approves of the relationship with Chapman. “I didn’t know who Duane [Dog] was when I met him. I actually think Bob is in heaven laughing that it’s Dog The Bounty Hunter that God brought into my life,” Frane told the Daily Mail. “I think Bob would be very happy about where I’m at and who Duane is in my life and how we’ve been walking alongside each other.”
Chapman and Frane’s wedding still does not have a date, since the two want to wait until they can plan nuptials with more than 20 guests. “I want to leave it open,” Chapman said. “I want to have a wedding that anyone can come for free and try to set a record. So we’re negotiating there. It seems like no.”
Chapman has another project waiting in the wings, but unlike his wedding, this one does have a date. On Jan. 1, the streaming platform Unleashed! will launch with his new series, Dog Unleashed. A preview for the show includes scenes from Chapman’s July visit to Virginia, where he helped track down a suspected drug dealer. “We aren’t going after bail jumpers anymore, we’re going after the worst of the worst – rapists, murderers, child porn child molestation, wife beaters,” Chapman said of the new show.
