SafeX Pro Exchange|Bachelor Nation's Shawn Booth Expecting First Baby

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The Bachelorette alum Shawn Booth announced July 17 that he is going to be a dad.

"The mother is somebody who I've been close with for years," he revealed on his July 17 podcast, In The Booth With Shawn Booth.  "We've had a relationship and we've dated. This just isn't some random girl I met at Honky Tonk Central. This is a big surprise for both of us."

But while Shawn, who didn't share the name of his baby's mom, admitted the pregnancy was unplanned, it's a chapter he's been looking forward to for quite some time.

"It is the most beautiful surprise I've ever had in my life," he continued. "And it's gonna be very special. I can't wait. I'm ready. I'm 37 years old. I've always wanted to be a dad."

As for the sex of their baby? Shawn said he and the baby's mom have decided not to learn until the birth, is due in December of this year. And while the former reality star admitted that his road to fatherhood is perhaps not the traditional route, to him, it isn't important. 

"I'm sure there will be a lot of people [who] have thoughts and opinions and all that," Shawn, who was previously engaged to Kaitlyn Bristowe after season 11 of The Bachelorette, shared. "And I think now probably more than ever, I've gotten to a point where I'm like, 'I don't care what anybody thinks.' If they're like, 'you're not married,' it's like, 'Listen, that's not what's important here.'"

And while describing the moment he and the mother of his child found out they were expecting—which Shawn says involved "the faintest line that any pregnancy test has ever seen"—he expressed his hope she might come on the podcast one day to tell her side of the story.

"It's been a wild, wild ride," he said. "But she's going to be such a good mother. And it's gonna be incredible."

Shawn has largely kept his private life out of the spotlight since he and Kaitlyn who got engaged on The Bachelorette in 2015, announced their breakup in November 2018.

"After three incredible years, we have decided to go our separate ways. We have both evolved as people, which is taking us in different directions, but with the hope that we will continue to support each other in new ways," the pair said in a statement to People at the time. "Due to the nature of how we met, our relationship has always been very public, and we have enjoyed sharing it with all of you, but we ask that you respect our decision and our privacy at this time."

And though fans might not have seen Shawn date anyone publicly since his split from Kaitlyn—who is now engaged to Jason Tartick— he shared on his podcast that doesn't mean he hasn't been dating.

"I've dated since the show," he revealed. "I've dated a bunch of people. I've had a girlfriend. I've always just kept things private."