Taylor Frankie Paul has admitted her first post-divorce boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, apparently learned of her The Bachelorette casting when the rest of the world did.

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Following Taylor's divorce from Tate Paul in 2022, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star dated Dakota, with whom she welcomed one of her three children.

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(Taylor welcomed daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with Tate. She later gave birth to Dakota's son, Ever True, in March 2024).

Taylor insisted on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast that she had officially ended her relationship with Dakota in September 2024.

While Taylor acknowledged "it's over" with Dakota now, she admitted to having hooked up with him several times since their split.

Fans may therefore be shocked to discover that Taylor never gave Dakota a heads up about her The Bachelorette casting.

Prior to Taylor being announced as The Bachelorette's Season 22 star on Wednesday, September 10, the reality TV star admitted she had "not confirmed it" with Dakota.

"So I don't know if he knows or if he knew I had the opportunity," Taylor explained to Alex on the September 10 episode of her podcast. "So he'll know Wednesday."

Taylor predicted of Dakota's reaction to her upcoming televised journey to find love, "I think [he'll] probably [be] sad."

She elaborated, "If anything he says is real, I would say sad."

Taylor, however, insisted that Dakota knows she's been meeting new people and dating.

"So we've already had that first hurt, I guess," Taylor said.

"I think that's the hardest part is when you see their first dating or hookup or whatever it is. That's going to always take a toll, no matter what."

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But Taylor believes that Dakota is going to watch her The Bachelorette journey play on out on ABC when it premieres in 2026.

"I think he's always watching, as of now," Taylor said. "And maybe it takes him meeting someone new and focusing on her, and maybe it will be different. I can't say."

Taylor admitted she hooked up with Dakota a few times after their breakup because it was a "very confusing" time for her.

"If I'm being honest, I did want to end up with him. That was no secret to anybody," Taylor shared.

"It wasn't a secret, and I'll always admit that to whoever asks me. Did I love him? Absolutely. I had a baby with him. I wanted to be with him. But it just did not work out. There were certain things that were forever closing for me."

The mother of three teased how "everyone will see" the demise of her relationship with Dakota on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which returns to Hulu in November.

"I can't speak on that yet, but it closed the book for me. But it was really hard to let go. That was a hard pill to swallow, that I can't be with you now," Taylor explained.

"And, like, there was no pain like it. I will say, this last summer was one of the hardest summers I ever had because I was like, 'Oh my gosh, Taylor, you have to accept that you're not ending up with him.'"

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Taylor confessed that walking away from Dakota left her with a pain she can't describe to anybody.

"So it was hard to let go fully," she reiterated. "And when people are like, 'Have you hooked up?' It's like, 'Yes, I loved him!' I wanted to be with him, but I can't -- and I won't. I had to let go and it was hard."

While Taylor didn't tell Dakota about her upcoming The Bachelorette stint, she did apparently warn other men she's dated recently.

"I actually told them," Taylor told Us Weekly in a separate interview.

"I was just like, 'So, I'm going to be doing The Bachelorette here soon.' Just to [be] fair, and not surprise them with it with the rest of the world. Because it's so new, there's not deep feelings there."

Taylor said the men took the news well and wished her luck.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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