Ben Higgins teased fans on Jan. 14 episode of The Ben And Ashley I. Almost Famous podcast that he was dating again and it didn’t take long for internet sleuths to figure out his girlfriend is Nashville resident Jessica Clarke. Now the former season 20 Bachelor is giving HollywoodLife.com an EXCLUSIVE update on his love life. “I am really happy. Jessica is fantastic and we’ve been dating for several months. I am hopeful our relationship will continue to grow, however we want to be wise about it and not put too much pressure on ourselves. That’s why we waited a while to go public – we just wanted to be sure that we were both comfortable doing so,” Ben tells us.
The 29-year-old will be hosting “The Wedding Party,” a new and unique wedding event for multiple couples in matrimony taking place in Denver on September 1, 2019. In addition to his new romance, he’s got his hands full with many other ventures. ”Right now, I’m just keeping myself busy with several projects and focusing on things that bring joy to my life. I’m involved with three great organizations – Humanity and Hope International, Ash-Kara and Generous International – all of which I am really passionate about. I also have the Almost Famous Podcast with iHeart radio, and then there’s The Wedding Party and my new relationship with Jessica. I’m very happy with the course my life is taking and although I don’t know what the future has in store for me, I’m thrilled to be doing things that excite me,” he continues.
Ben teased his relationship with Jessica on his podcast in January but did’t want to reveal her identity. “I’m not hiding anything,” Ben said. “I think you go through public relationships before and you kind of deal with that pressure. And there’s the right timing to it all, to kind of make it a thing and publicly put it out there.” While he didn’t name Jessica, he called her “the best, purest person.” Awww!
Ben finally revealed Jessica’s identity in a Feb. 20 Instagram post, writing “I’ve been selfishly keeping this girl to myself for too long! Hey friends meet @jessclarke_! I successfully slid into her Dm’s a few months ago. I took a risk and I am glad I did. She is someone special, and I look forward to where life is going to take us.” The accompanying pic showed off his new love while he held her in his arms.
The star of season 20 of The Bachelor gave Lauren Bushnell, 29, his final rose in 2016, but by May of 2017, the engagement was off. The blonde beauty has since moved on to dating country singer Chris Lane. The couple made their red carpet debut at the 66th Annual BMI Country Awards in Nashville on Nov. 13, 2018 and she revealed on March 6 that their pair had officially moved in together in his Nashville home. None of that matters now that Ben has found romance again with Jessica.