Just months after the devastating death of Beth Chapman, Duane Chapman had already moved on to now-fiancé Francie Frane. While the two had both lost their spouses cancer, their whirlwind romance was quick. But despite those who feel they’ve moved on too fast, the love birds are sharing their story and Frane admits that she wasn’t going to go out with the reality TV star until he went to church first.
“We understood the pain that the other one was feeling and [in] those tough days and moments, we helped each other stand up,” Frane explained to Entertainment Tonight. “We could cry with each other and talk about what we were feeling. We were able to walk alongside each other through the pain and heartbreak and it brought us together in this amazing way.” She added that when he asked her out for the first time after their unusually special connection, she said, “Yeah, if you go to church.”
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Duane, also known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, added that he “knew right away this was love” when they first met and that she “couldn’t have been a better pick that God picked.” Despite how in love the two seem to be, some fans still believe Duane moved on too fast from Beth Chapman since the two were married for over a decade. However, Frane had a few words for those who are doubting.
“We’re both still grieving. We’re never going to leave Bob and Beth behind [or] forget about them. They’ll always be a part of us,” Frane said. “We thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives with them and that’s not what happened and we were dealt a really hard hand. Both of us had a decision to make – we are going to rise up from the ashes and get back to life and what Beth and Bob would have wanted from us?”
In fact, the two still plan on honoring their late spouses moving forward as a couple. “We honor those dates and we don’t feel guilty,” Duane said of both Chapman and Bob’s death anniversaries. “But we’re in love and I say all the time, ‘Beth, I’m glad you provided me with Francie because that wasn’t on my list.’”
The sweet pair met in an unusual way. Little did Frane know, her husband and Duane were in contact. Not long after Chapman’s death, one of Frane’s friends encouraged her to meet Duane, even though she had no idea who he was. When Duane called Bob’s cell phone, not knowing he had passed, Frane checked the voicemail and called him back, not knowing it was Duane. When the two made the connection, it’s all history from there.