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Season 31 “Dancing with the Stars” runner-up Gabby Windey surprised her fans recently by revealing her latest romance is with a woman, comedian Robby Hoffman. The former “Bachelorette” star explained during an appearance on “The View” that it had always “been a whisper” to her that she might be attracted to women, and once she connected with Hoffman, everything just felt right. Now, Windey is opening up further about her coming out and the impact it has had on her life.
Here’s what you need to know:
Gabby Windey Feels Protected by Robby Hoffman
Windey opened up to New Beauty about coming out when she did. “I mean, there were nerves surrounding it…but I was so ready to finally say something.” She pointed out that if she had been dating a man for four months already, which was how long she had been with Hoffman, “it would have already been celebrated by now.”
The former “Dancing with the Stars” contender wanted the news of her relationship to come from “my perspective,” and she felt it was “authentic and light still.” Although it could have felt quite stressful to open herself and her relationship up to the public as she did, she had faith that how she felt in her relationship would help it all feel less stressful.
“Call me crazy, but I’ve never felt more spiritually connected to anyone than I do with my girlfriend,” Windey explained. She added, “I feel so protected by her, and it feels so right. It’s like I know the powers that be will protect me. The “Dancing with the Stars” runner-up also stated, “I know that what I’m doing is so real and true, and it’s not hurting anyone. I just feel like I’ve been so protected.”
Windey Has Never Been Happier
Windey elaborated while sharing her story with Glamour. “I want to be able to talk about my life openly. That’s how people know me.” She was somewhat fearful someone else would out her before she could share her story herself, and in retrospect, “I don’t think I realized how good it was going to feel to be this open.”
The season 31 “Dancing with the Stars” dancer revealed she first went on a date with a woman in March after her official move to Los Angeles. She was on the dating app Raya, and her profile indicated she was open to both men and women. However, “I wasn’t really looking at the men,” Windey reflected of her dating app experience.
That initial match did not turn out to be “the one,” but a few weeks later, Windey met Hoffman. “I was at a bar where a friend’s girlfriend recognized Robby. Our mutual friend brought her over, and she introduced herself to us.” Now, Windey says she needs to “spread the good word of what it’s like to actually meet somebody who you spend your whole life wanting to meet.”
While she has described her earlier attraction to women as a “whisper,” Windey admitted, “There had been signs since childhood and you kind of just get to the point where you allow the whisper to get louder, basically.”
She had even questioned her sexuality in conversations with friends at times, who brushed off her uncertainty. Windey admitted, “Luckily I have that natural curiosity and the strength to listen to myself. Because that’s exactly what happened.” Even given that, Windey grew up in a conservative world and had not interacted with many people in the gay community when she was younger.
Now that she’s a few months into her relationship with Hoffman, Windey says, “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been these last four months.” Her relationship with Hoffman is “the best relationship I’ve ever been in,” and the “Dancing with the Stars” runner-up described the couple’s partnership as “serendipitous and kismet and kind of spiritual, but also very stable.”
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