Allie Eklund is in no hurry to jump back into the dating pool following her messy and very public split from The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys star Steven McBee Jr.
“For me, at this point in my life, you know, it would be really hard to randomly date and get back out there,” Eklund exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, July 10, while discussing her personal business venture Triple E Mercantile, a collection of goods inspired by her family’s private Texas Hill country ranch, home to more than 100 animals.
“I just turned 29 this year, and catching someone up to speed on everything that has happened in my life just seems pretty daunting, to be honest,” she continued. “I can’t even imagine, you know, first date conversations. And whenever I was dating Steven, you know, I didn’t think that I was going to have first dates again. So, I’ve been wrapping my head around that.”
Eklund famously split from McBee Jr., 33, in April, after the reality TV star accused her of cheating on him after attending Stagecoach. Eklund vehemently denied the allegations, and Mcbee Jr. eventually issued a public apology, vowing to do “better” while revealing he would be seeking mental health care at a wellness retreat.
While Eklund isn’t rushing to jump into another romance, she does know what she is looking for in a potential, future partner.
“I really would prefer to date someone that’s been in my life before, is what I am thinking,” she revealed to us. “[Someone] that I know has a proven track record of supporting me. I think with men, it’s really easy — in my experience — for them to say that they love all the things that I’m doing and admire it, but then they end up resenting me for it and wanting to change me and my experience with dating. That’s what I’ve seen play [out] over and over and over again.”
She added, “So, maybe dating someone that’s already been in my life or from my past that I know supports me and loves me and my career and my family, and I have a proven track record of, that is who I’m interested in being with.”
While Eklund and McBee Jr. are no longer a romantic item, fans of The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys have been watching their relationship play out on season 3 of the hit reality TV series.
Eklund told Us that some of the tensions fans will witness between the former couple and prior to their split revolved around her desire to move to Texas while Steven’s family resides in Missouri.
“I had plans to go back to Texas before I met him and I was sticking to my word on that,” she explained to Us. “And he wanted to be together, and was, you know, wanting to come to Texas, [while] I wanted him to stay in Missouri and we would, you know, find time to continue getting to know each other. You know, there was no rush to move states so quickly.”
She continued, “Having someone in Texas would obviously be amazing, because my family is here and I would love to stay in Texas long-term and raise a family here the way that I was raised here. So I would love to find someone in Texas, and a lot of Texas boys are cowboys. So they are not off the table for me. We’ll see.”
The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys airs on Bravo Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
