Love Is Blind‘s Jared “JP” Pierce is introducing his new girlfriend to the world on the heels of his uncomfortable split from fiancée Taylor Rue. The Season 5 contestant on the Netflix marriage experiment show took to Instagram Thursday to post photos with his girlfriend of more than a year, Ellen Hense.
“Over a year ago I met the sweetest, most loving, caring, awesome, sexy, and fun person. She’s just the best!” wrote the firefighter in the caption. Despite the couple being together for more than a year, Pierce has kept quiet about his relationship before and during the airing of his Netflix season, as contestants are required to do following the production of the show, revealing only during the recent reunion special that he had been dating someone since splitting with Rue.
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His co-star, Izzy Zapata, shared details about Pierce’s relationship ahead of the reunion special, however, telling Nick Viall on The Viall Files, “He’s been seeing a girl for a year now so obviously he’s doing something right. But I think sometimes a lot of guys are not in touch with their emotions or can express them very well and I think that was the case with him.”
Pierce and Rue grew close during their season on the pods, but after the firefighters popped the question and met his future wife in person, he grew quiet and reserved. Things ended on their post-engagement trip to Mexico when Rue pressed Pierce on the change in his personality, only to hear that he had an issue with her use of makeup. Rue then called off their engagement the next day, and the former couple did not speak until filming the reunion.
“You wouldn’t talk to me. You didn’t try, that was very clear,” Rue told her ex during the special. “Sure, I was nervous too with the cameras… but that’s not an excuse. I had a ring on my finger, we were supposed to get married in three weeks, and you’re gonna let the cameras ruin that? Or my makeup? Or whatever else it was. Not okay.” Pierce later said that Rue was not the kind of woman he would hit on at a bar, but apologized for what he said, explaining that “I genuinely wanted to let you know that I think you’re beautiful without makeup.” Rue also shared at the reunion that she was seeing someone, but she’s yet to introduce him to the public. Love Is Blind is streaming on Netflix.
