Dakota Mortensen is moving on from Taylor Frankie Paul… with someone who once had ties to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star!
Remember Shinia Powell? She had been friends with Taylor and appeared on the Hulu reality series. However, she got the boot from MomTok’s inner circle, all because she hooked up with Dakota behind the reality star’s back. Dakota fully admitted to it right before she left to film her now-cancelled season of The Bachelorette during Season 4 of Mormon Wives, and she publicly put Shinia on blast. She also sparked the production-halting fight and the legal mess between Taylor and Dakota earlier this year. Months later, we have an update on the whole situation! It now looks like Dakota is dating Taylor’s ex-pal!
Related: Ex Of Dakota Mortensen’s Pal Describes How They Always S**t-Talked Taylor
Sources close to the new couple confirmed to People on Wednesday that he and Shinia are dating. An insider said that she has been supporting Dakota through his ongoing legal battle with Taylor, and their friendship grew into something more:
“Shinia has been a steady source of support for Dakota through some incredibly difficult times, especially when he did not have immediate family nearby. Their close friendship has naturally grown into something more, and they are enjoying their time together while thoughtfully navigating what that means for them and their children.”
Although Dakota and Shinia know their romance will attract attention, the source said that “they respectfully ask that people remain mindful of their privacy and feelings as they work as a team to move forward in a healthy way within an already tumultuous environment.”
So messy…
Fans started to speculate that Dakota and Shinia were a thing after she posted a photo dump of a recent trip to Arizona, which included a picture of a man wearing a hat with the letter A on it. Although you can’t see his face, many assumed the guy is the Unwell Winter Games star. Swipe to the third slide to ch-ch-check it out:
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Taylor hasn’t reacted to the relationship update yet. But let’s hope this doesn’t spark another online crash out because she legally can’t talk about Dakota amid their custody battle!
What are your reactions, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments (below)!
[Image via Dakota Mortensen/Shinia Powell/Taylor Frankie Paul/Instagram]
