Bachelor in Paradise couple Alana Milne and Chris Conran have revealed how they reconciled after they both left the summer spinoff's seventh season single.
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Following the October 2021 finale of Bachelor in Paradise 7, Alana posted a photo of herself kissing Chris on her Instagram Story at a party and wrote, "Paradise is wherever I'm with you."
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Chris shared Alana's post on his own Instagram Story and proudly revealed at the time, "3 months of no cameras or producers," before noting how the couple was "waiting for a double date" with Noah Erb and Abigail Heringer.
Chris and Alana have been dating ever since, and the pair moved in together in Salt Lake City, UT, in Fall 2021, according to BachelorNation.com.
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On how the couple got together after leaving Mexico separately, Chris told the website, "After Paradise, I was completely mind f'ed. I have this great connection with someone and watched it slip away in the same day."
"I downplay it all the time," he noted, "but it ate away at my heart."
"What we have is real real, and I've never felt anything stronger," Chris insisted of Alana. "I had to talk to her and see her, but right after the show I felt like she didn't want to talk to me."
Chris, however, apparently reached out to Alana anyway and "sent her flowers and booked a flight" to visit her.
"[The] rest is history," Chris said.
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Alana added how "things have a way of working themselves out" and she and Chris don't regret appearing on Bachelor in Paradise last summer.
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"Had I never gone on the show, Chris and I never would have had that first date. Had we stayed on the show, something or someone may have come between us. It all happened the way it was supposed to," Alana shared.
"The show brought us together and then we were able to create a relationship on our own."
The pair agreed it would be "silly to regret anything."
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Alana and Chris recently revealed their favorite things about each other on their respective Instagram Stories.
Alana gushed, "Everyone who knows Chris knows they are lucky to have him in their lives. He's incredibly compassionate, loving, and kind. He makes me smile every single day, makes me laugh constantly, and above all, makes me a better version of myself."
Alana also called her boyfriend "motivated and inspiring," and she said his dimple doesn't hurt.
Meanwhile, Chris listed Alana's selfless heart, bright smile, intelligence, beautiful eyes, and her love for him.
"[She] always puts me in a better mood no matter how hard life, work, or stress hits me... Alana gives 110 percent in everything she does and this includes loving me. I love you baby," Chris told his followers.
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On an early September 2021 episode of Bachelor in Paradise, Chris and Jessenia Cruz had become one of the strongest couples on the beach in Mexico, but once Alana showed up to an invite-only VIP party hosted by Tituss Burgess, Chris kissed her right away and proceeded to make out with her on the dance floor right in front of Jessenia.
After Jessenia left the VIP party early, alone and brokenhearted, Alana joined the Paradise cast the next day and asked Chris out on a date, and he said "yes" without hesitation.
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From there on out, Chris and Alana were inseparable and all about each other, and so the couple was accused of having a pre-show relationship and strategy for the Paradise process, similar to how Brendan Morais had dated Natasha Parker until his genuine romantic interest, Pieper James, arrived.
Jessenia told the cameras Alana had once "thrown herself" on Chris at a friendly gathering in San Diego, CA, which "wasn't a good look" and it appeared Chris had been waiting for her to enter Paradise the entire time.
Once Chris and Alana coupled up in Paradise, Joe Amabile and Riley Christian rushed to Jessenia's defense and led an attack on Chris in which they scolded him for wanting "clout" and being "dishonorable."
Chris was essentially forced out of Paradise, with Jessenia telling Chris to f-ck himself, follow his heart, and "get the f-ck out of Paradise." And Riley and Joe agreed that was the right decision to make.
When Alana asked the group if anyone wanted to know what she thought of the situation, Jessenia, Joe and Riley clapped back, "No!"
Alana therefore left the show on her on accord since the environment had become a toxic place for her as well.
Alana, however, decided not to leave with Chris since they had no time to really get to know each other and build a solid foundation.
Chris apologized for hurting Jessenia in a lengthy Instagram apology after the unflattering footage aired, but he also felt wronged by his Season 7 co-stars.
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"I take complete accountability for my blatant disrespect towards Jessenia, and handling the situation poorly," Chris wrote in early September, adding, "My past behavior is not a reflection of who I am or who I want to be, and it was never my intention to maliciously or purposefully hurt anyone on the show."
After pointing out how he had been working on his relationship and communication skills, Chris confirmed he was "by no means in a relationship" with Alana prior to filming the show.
"I hung out with both Alana and Jessenia in a group setting," Chris explained at the time. "I met both of them, and had the same preshow relationship prior to Paradise. Flirty, and excited to potentially see them on Paradise."
Chris asked people to stop attacking and harassing Alana, and despite having made some mistakes, he went on to stand up for himself.
"The hateful messages I'm receiving aren't fun, and the way I was attacked and pushed out of Paradise sucked. It reminded me of getting ganged up on in high school by the 'cook kids,'" Chris wrote.
"I understand I was low hanging fruit since I'm not a fan favorite, but it also takes a huge level of disrespect for grown men to shut a woman down when she's trying to use her voice. You two know she deserves an apology. We cannot have a culture where we silence women on this show."
"All in all, I was not in a relationship prior to the show. I arrived single, and left single. Don't compare me to Brendan and Pieper, because it is not the same. I was disrespectful to Jessenia, and should have carried myself better," he added.
Chris said "sorry" again for his actions but admitted, "I do not regret following my heart" on Bachelor in Paradise -- and his heart clearly led him to Alana once he returned home.
Prior to their time on Bachelor in Paradise, Alana competed on Season 25 of The Bachelor starring Matt James, which aired in 2021, and Chris was a suitor on Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams' season of The Bachelorette in 2020.
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