When Bella, 33, spotted 39-year-old James’s bright blue eyes across the room at the Bondi party in September, she had no clue that – like herself – he’d had a stint on the small screen too. “We had no idea each other existed, which is funny because we’ve both got similar stories, we’ve both got reality TV backgrounds,” Bella exclusively tells WHO. But she soon caught James’s attention.
“I thought she had something stuck in her eye because she kept winking at me!” James recalls. “And I’m like, ‘I think she’s winking! At me!’”
What was that special something that drew the lovebirds to one another? “I could see he’s got good country values and he values family a lot. Which is really important,” Bella gushes.
Adds James, “Bella is such a positive person. There is no negative energy at all. I felt something instantly.”
So strong is their connection that just six months in, the two are already suffering from “future-planning syndrome,” says Bella.
“When you’re at this age, we are like, ‘Let’s not muck around if this is not serious,’” adds James.
For more, see this week’s issue of WHO. On sale now.