Nick Viall’s “insecurities” made him hesitant to start a long-term relationship with now-fiancée Natalie Joy.
“We were long distance,” Viall, 43, explained while appearing on Kristin Cavallari’s “Let’s Be Honest” podcast on Tuesday, October 31. “I was worried we might be in different places of our lives. But she was like, ‘I think we should date here’s why. Here’s how I feel about you, take it or leave it.’”
Joy, 25, initially “peaced out” after Viall “didn’t come around” to her feelings, but he eventually got her back.
“When I first met her, I thought she was beautiful,” Viall recalled on the podcast episode. “I was surprised by how much I enjoyed her company early on and then she quickly integrated with my friends, and they liked her.”
He added, “As we kept hanging out, I think it was just her general confidence and the fact that she was very clear — we wouldn’t be together if it weren’t for her.”
Viall and Joy started dating after she slid into the former Bachelor star’s DMs. They took their relationship public in January 2021.
“Natalie is the first woman I’ve been with where we have so many little things in common that I took for granted,” Viall told Cavallari, 36. “Liking the same foods. Liking the same shows. Doing the same things. … Every day isn’t a struggle.”
After more than two years together, Viall proposed to Joy in January. The couple announced in August that they are expecting their first baby together, a daughter.
Viall previously spoke about the “romantic” way that his relationship with Joy began.
“We kind of kept hanging out, and she finally got to a point where she was like, ‘I want to date,’ and I was kind of like, ‘I don’t know,’” he recalled on the “Viall Files” podcast in February 2021. “She was just like, ‘OK, this is what I want. It’s fine, no big deal, but I’m gonna go do my thing,’ and she did and I was like, ‘What?!’ … She went and showed me exactly what I’d be missing.”
While the duo are gearing up to tie the knot and become first-time parents, Viall has been open about how much Joy has taught him about love.
“Not only taught me, but she’s shown me how to be present,” he gushed to Us Weekly exclusively in October 2022. “And she has shown me just how important it is to take the time in any moment — whether you’re getting a coffee at a barista or you’re checking out at the grocery store, those little moments of seeing people and making them feel validated is really special on a day-to-day basis and especially in a relationship.”
