Well, that’s that on that — for now, at least. Bachelor alum Nick Viall set the record straight regarding dating rumors with Demi Burnett and actress Rachel Bilson while speaking with Us Weekly at Vulture Festival in Los Angeles. “I’m not dating Demi,” the 29-year-old revealed, after which he called Rachel, 38, “a friend.”
Rumors about Demi, 24, and Nick started swirling after the blonde beauty posted a photo of the duo holding hands at a Halloween party. But Bachelorette alum Hannah Brown told Life & Style exclusively what was up with the potentially telling pics.
“Oh, no. They were just having a good time,” the Bachelor Nation favorite explained. “They’re really good friends. They’re like besties. Well, she’s my bestie. We’re besties first and then Nick is her other best friend.”
That being said, the Bachelor in Paradise alum is, in fact, single — as of only a few weeks ago. Demi revealed she and fiancé Kristian Haggerty split on Instagram on October 31. “With a heavy heart full of love for one another we have decided it is best for us to take a step back from our relationship,” she wrote. “We ultimately want what is best for us in the long run and for us right now, that means being apart and growing individually.”
In Rachel’s case, the former O.C. starlet sparked her own set of romance rumors with the bachelor after making an appearance on his podcast, “The Viall Files,” back in July. Since then, the dynamic duo have been pretty flirty on social media.
But, at the time, Nick wouldn’t confirm or deny a relationship with Rachel when he spoke with LS exclusively while celebrating Plenty of Fish’s new Dine and Dish video back in September. “Oh, I’m a huge fan of Rachel. I told this to her on my podcast — I had a huge crush on her in the movie Jumper. Big crush. I mean, as a person, I think she’s wonderful,” he said.
Now that he’s come clean on his connections with both women, we hope to see him make some moves when the time is right. “I’m certainly hoping to settle down when the right person comes,” he told Us in a recent interview. “I’m not trying to put pressure on myself.”