Dennis gushes over her musician beau, who is different from the guy ‘Southern Charm’ fans will see her date on season six of the show.
Kathryn Dennis is in love.
"I never believed in love at first sight, but if I could imagine what it feels like, this would be it," she tells ET.
The Southern Charm star, 27, and country singer Hunter Price, 26, who appeared on season 13 of America’s Got Talent, have been dating for about six months now, after meeting on New Year’s Eve.
"I went to Nashville, [Tennessee,] with some friends and we had dinner and they invited this guy, and they said he was single, good looking and a hard worker, all the things I have been looking for and never found," Dennis says. "We just hit it off. And he’s kind of weird like me. I have a very peculiar sense of humor and he has the exact same one."
"For the first time in my life, it feels super natural," she continues. "And I feel really, really safe with him, being vulnerable. I could go on and on, but he’s great."
"After we met, I met up with [my co-stars] Austen [Kroll] and Craig [Conover] and we had dinner, and I was, I had hearts in my eyes," Dennis recalls. "I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I am going to marry this guy.’ So I would say, that I'm… I guess we're pretty serious."
Price currently lives in Nashville, while Dennis, of course, lives in Charleston, South Carolina, but the mom of two says that so far, the long distance hasn’t been an issue.
"I don't know [how], but it's working," she says. "I tried to Google it, 'Dating long distance, what do you do?,' but at the end of the day, it just is what it is. That's where his work is. I'm here with my children. We make time to visit each other. I actually love Nashville, so I don't mind taking the occasional trip."
Price is a different man that the one Southern Charm fans will see Dennis date on season six of the Bravo hit. Before Price, Dennis was seeing Florida politician Joe Abruzzo, whom her friends didn’t like for her. Naomie Olindo says the relationship had "a lot of similarities" to the one Dennis had with her ex, Thomas Ravenel, who is also older than her and a former politician.
"It was not a good idea," Danni Baird tells ET. "It was replicating something that did not look good."
"She had moved mountains in progress," she adds. "I was just thinking, 'Man, I can't do this again.' Like, no. It’s like you're seeing someone 80 miles per hour, headed toward a tree and you're like, 'Put the brakes on, please!'"
In a statement to ET, Abruzzo says Dennis' co-stars don't know him at all.
“I stand by my service to our nation as a military veteran, a former state senator who sponsored 50 bills into law, of which many have saved lives, protected women and children and the community I served," he says. "Most importantly, a single father raising a young son. While briefly dating Kathryn, I never met the cast of Southern Charm. They surely do not know me, the manner of which I retired from public office with awards and accolades, nor my character and values. Therefore, the false comparisons and misrepresentations made by some of the cast and production about me is simply an attempt to add more drama to their show. I only wish the best for Kathryn and her future, and respectfully ask the cast to refrain from carrying out the will of producers and focus on stories of their own lives."
Price, however, has the stamp of approval from Dennis's friends, even Patricia Altschul.
"He's here quite a bit," Altschul notes. "He's charming, attractive. He's very much a Southern gentleman in every respect, at least from what I've seen … since you had a boyfriend, I haven't seen quite as much of you."
"I have been off the grid for a bit," Dennis admits. "You know, the 'honeymoon phase.'"
As for Altschul's love life, she says she’s still engaged to the mysterious "Mr. C," and it will likely stay that way for a while.
"I'm taking my time," the 78-year-old says. "I don’t know if I’m ready to settle down yet."
"This is exactly the example that she has set for all of us girls," Dennis says. "We don’t need a man."
"They come in handy," Altschul is quick to add. "I'm not denying that."
Southern Charm airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
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