Both the family that makes up Love Is Blind and Bachelor Nation are expanding!
Giannina Gibelli and Blake Horstmann, both of whom rose to fame on reality television, have announced that they are expecting their first child together.
The expectant celebrity, who is 30 years old, said to PEOPLE that she and her partner had their initial suspicions that they could be expecting “after a couple of weeks of traveling.”
“We were on our way back home from the movies and I felt a fluttering in my lower stomach which I thought was weird, so we got a test and made it home, opened a bottle of wine — because obviously, it’s going to be negative this was just a precaution — and after dinner, we found out our entire world had changed,” according to her. “We’re so excited to meet our spring baby!”
Both Gibelli and Horstmann, who are 34 years old, were taken aback by the news, but the duo described the pleasure of hearing the responses of their family and friends as being “priceless.”
“No one was expecting it, but their responses have been spectacular, and we are so grateful for the love and support that everyone has shown us,” she said. They say, “First, we told Blake’s family in Colorado and then we told Giannina’s family in Florida about the engagement.”
“It goes without saying that there was a great deal of shouting, joyous crying, and bouncing about. Gibelli chuckles and says, “I think the jaws of our friends are still on the ground.” “Our baby is so loved already.”
“Pregnancy has been a dream!” says Gibelli up to this point in the pregnancy.
“Zero to almost no sickness, I’ve been able to travel, and all I want to eat is fruit,” the expecting mother reports.
“Being pregnant is one of the best experiences of my life. “I never thought I would enjoy it this much, and I never thought it would make me step into my femininity,” she says, as Horstmann teases, “And I love her new boobs!”
Gibelli claims that in the beginning she “struggled” with “my identity and how this would change me,” but that she eventually found comfort in “talking to women in my life and doing what makes me happy.”
“It has helped me feel more in control of my life while still keeping me grounded. “My heart tells me that this was always meant to be for me, and the love that has already been given to this child is beyond measure,” she adds.
“We don’t officially know yet,” the couple said, despite the fact that the majority of their loved ones believe they will be having a girl.
We have a sneaking suspicion! And after the first couple of months of seeing each other, we began compiling a list of potential names for our future children,” Gibelli reveals. “I think we low-key manifested this, with that list.”
The pair is excited to enter the next stage of their lives together and “seeing each other as parents.”
“We’d already hear, ‘You’re going to be such a good mom and dad,’ I think because we both give off nurturing vibes,” according to Gibelli. “Yet, it’s evident that there’s still that sensation of wondering, ‘Am I going to do it right?’ There is no instruction manual, and there is a great deal that we do not understand, but we are enthusiastic to work on this together as a group.
“We communicate about everything and trust and believe in each other,” she informs us, chuckling as she continues, “The only thing is Blake is going to feel left out when the baby and I are speaking in Spanish and he has no idea what we’re saying.”
In May, when Gibelli and Horstmann were celebrating the engagement of two mutual friends, Gibelli offered some endearing reflections on Horstmann.
“I have a heart on for you (& my lovely besties engagement day, I didn’t think I could smile any bigger or love any harder before this day 🤍),” according to her.
“I’m constantly amazed by how much I’m in awe of this human, I can honestly say he’s best thing that’s ever happened to me 🫠 (aaaand I’m done with the sappy post thanks for coming).”
PEOPLE received confirmation from several sources in January 2022 that the couple’s blossoming relationship took place on the set of the reality competition series All Star Shore.
After a few months had passed, Gibelli broke her silence over the relationship, telling E! News at the time, “I’ve never seen the Bachelor series or any of that, so I didn’t know who he was. I had the feeling that I had seen him before, and when I approached him on the beach, all he did was grin broadly at me. That’s how I got to know him.
Horstmann was first shown to the public as a contestant on the season of The Bachelorette that was hosted by Becca Kufrin. After finishing the season as the runner-up to Kufrin’s now-ex-fiancé Garrett Yrigoyen, he made quite a stir on Bachelor in Paradise in 2019 owing to his pre-show entanglements with Caelynn Miller-Keyes, Kristina Schulman, and Hannah Godwin. Kufrin’s now-ex-fiancé Garrett Yrigoyen was the winner of the season.
Regarding Gibelli, she rose to prominence after making her appearance on Love Is Blind in the year 2020. She met fellow competitor Damian Powers, with whom she later became engaged, and fell in love with him. Despite this, the pair eventually broke up.