There is some big news within Bachelor Nation! The Bachelor season 26 and Bachelor In Paradise season 8 alum Shanae Ankney announced today (October 23, 2023) that she is pregnant with her first child.
According to her officially biography for The Bachelor, “Shanae is a small-town girl with a HUGE personality. She describes herself as faithful, patient and lovable, and is here to find a man who can keep up with her in all facets of life. She is looking for a man with confidence that won’t waste time playing games. She also values her independence, so while Shanae wants to build a life with someone, she also wants someone who encourages her to achieve the goals she has set for herself. Above all, Shanae wants to be able to be herself with a man who will honor and cherish her for the gem that she is.”
For those who need a refresher on how her journey played out, the “faithful, patient and lovable” woman got her start within Bachelor Nation by vying for the heart of Clayton Echard, however, she was eliminated in week five during a two-on-one date with Genevieve Parisi. “What does he see in her? It’s sickening. It’s disgusting,” Shanae dished after Clayton gave his rose to Genevieve instead — yikes!
Shortly after The Bachelor wrapped, the 31-year-old hit the beach for Bachelor In Paradise, where she promised the viewers a new and improved version of herself after her villainous edit.
Going on four dates throughout her Bachelor In Paradise journey, Shanae eventually hit it off with Joey Young from season 19 of The Bachelorette. The duo decided to split up in week six, ultimately prompting the Ohio native to look for love beyond the beach, where she happened to find her perfect match.
Now, Shanae is pregnant with their first child, but who is this mystery man?
Keep scrolling to learn all about Shanae’s pregnancy via an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, as well as who the father is. Contrary to popular belief, he is NOT from Bachelor Nation…
The father of Shanae’s first child is her boyfriend Nate Ebner, a safety and special teamer in the NFL who used to play for the New York Giants and New England Patrots.
In said interview, the pair gushed about how the Bachelor Nation alum first found out she was pregnant: “I knew I was pregnant before I even took the test. I just had a gut feeling. We waited and waited for the double lines to show up, and boom! The double lines appeared. Nate and I were looking at each other, just smiling and in awe.”
To find out the gender of the baby, Shanae and Nate did not do an extravagant gender reveal. Instead, they wanted a far more intimate moment, taking the results to a local bakery and having them bake cupcakes with either pink or blue colors. When they took a bite, they had their answer — how sweet is that?
Finding out that her first child will be a girl, Shanae and Nate could not be more thrilled. The NFL superstar shared with PEOPLE how excited he is to be a girl dad: “I can’t wait to have a one-of-a-kind relationship with this little girl, and I hope to be a great example for her of how a man should act, what strength looks like, and how you treat the people you love in your life.”
Then, the duo proceeded to gush about one another, confirming that they will be great parents.
“I’m immensely thankful for the wonderful man Nate is, and I can’t wait to witness the incredible dad he is destined to be,” Shanae spilled. “We know this is going to be life-changing, but in the best way possible. We can’t wait to continue to build this life together and become parents.”
Nate added, “I’m super excited. I think Shanae is a wonderful human with a beautiful soul, and I can’t wait to watch her be an amazing mother to our child… She will be the absolute best, as she has so much love to give. I know it will be difficult, but I think I have a lot to offer, and I’m excited about the experience, the challenge, and the learning along the way.”
We could not be more excited that this Bachelor Nation beauty has found her happily ever after!
