Kate Gosselin is ready to find love, and she's apparently going to look for it on reality television.

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Kate, 43, will be starring in a new TLC reality series, Kate Plus Date, which is slated to premiere in Fall 2018 and will document the mom of eight on her dating journey, according to People.

"I'm nervous, I'm excited, and I'm forcing myself to do this," Kate, who was married to ex-husband Jon Gosselin for 10 years, told the magazine in a statement about her new show.

It's been a little more than eight years since Kate and Jon's divorce was finalized in December 2009.

Kate reportedly wants to be in -- and finally has the time for -- a serious relationship now that her children are all teenagers.

Her two eldest children -- twins Mady and Cara, both 17 -- will head off to college in Fall 2019, leaving Kate at home with her 13-year-old sextuplets: Aaden, Joel, Alexis, Hannah and Leah. (Kate's son Collin is enrolled in a special learning program away from home).

"As we're talking about Mady and Cara going off to college which is becoming more and more of a reality, it's going to happen, it almost became like a worry for them, too, like, 'Mommy, you're going to be all alone soon,'" Kate shared.

"But it was very apparent, now that they're older and talking about dating and how they're all gonna get married someday... they want someone for me. They want me to have somebody in my life. [I] started picturing myself sitting in a rocking chair, knitting, and words like 'old maid' and 'spinster' started to come to mind, and I realized that no, I don't want that to be my fate."

Kate said her priority has been her children for years, and so she lost bits and pieces of herself and her own personal happiness along the way.

"I stopped focusing on myself. I used to be a runner, and all of these things sort of fell by the wayside, and I sort of forgot about the dating thing. It's never really fit into my life," Kate told People, adding that her "very complicated" life is no longer going to stand in her way of romance.

However, Kate refuses to search for her perfect match on dating apps and online websites.

"If I'm going to date someone, I can't just go out on a date -- it's creepy to me to think of just going out somewhere with some stranger, and so I actually feel like doing it like this is the best and safest way for me to go on a date. A camera crew will be there! I'll be safe! And the person will have been vetted by a matchmaker," Kate explained.

"I won't be just doing some scary online thing. I mean, online dating, seriously? I put my profile in there and people will know who it is within 90 seconds. No, this is probably the safest way for me to date, let's be honest."
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Kate said she's "not sure" what she's looking for in her ideal partner, but she is "open" to possibilities.

"Whomever they match me with, I'm game," Kate noted.

"I do want someone with a set career, who is confident. A grown-up with their own life, their own agenda, who knows who they are. If someone travels for work, that would be great, because I'm used to being on my own and being self-sufficient."

As for pet peeves or dealbreakers? Kate told People that she doesn't want a man who needs to be taken care of. She prefers someone "self-sufficient" who "won't suffocate" her. Kate also doesn't expect the man to be her children's father.

"[I] would love my kids to have a mutual friendship and respect with this guy and for him to be someone they can ask for advice. It would be great for my kids to have someone they can feel like is a real friend," Kate explained.

Kate added that the guy of her dreams also "must love dogs" because she has three "furry kids" at home.

"That is such a deal-breaker," she insisted. "People disappoint you, but your dogs never will."

Kate previously starred on Jon & Kate Plus 8 beginning in 2007, and the show eventually turned into Kate Plus 8 once the reality TV star and Jon's marriage faltered.

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Kate also competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2010 and The Celebrity Apprentice in 2015.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.