BiP's Kendall Long: I'm 'In Love' With My New BF After Joe Amabile Split

It’s official! Less than one year after Kendall Long returned to the Bachelor in Paradise beaches determined to find love after her split from Joe Amabile, she has introduced her followers to the man who won her heart.

“By the way, I’m in love 🥰,” the California native, 30, captioned a series of Instagram photos on Friday, April 8. “And just like our relationship, these pictures get progressively weirder 😉💕.”

Long, who first appeared on season 22 of The Bachelor, tagged boyfriend Mitchell Sage in her social media upload. The twosome appeared cozy in several photos taken at a local zoo, during a picnic in a park and embracing one another during date nights.

Bachelor in Paradise's Kendall Long Is 'In Love' With New Boyfriend Mitchell Sage After Joe Amabile Split

Kendall Long and Mitchell Sage.
Courtesy of Kendall Long/Instagram

The Just Curious author’s debut with the aerospace engineer marks the first time she’s moved on since her split from Amabile, 35. Long and the Chicago native initially met during BiP season 5, which aired in 2018, before announcing their split in January 2020.

“I did not see it coming,” Long admitted on her “Down to Date” podcast one month later. “Every relationship has issues but I feel like — with Joe and I — we were best friends. Everything was fun, we were getting a dog together. We had just moved in … Ultimately what happened was that Joe felt like he would have a better [life] in Chicago.”

She continued: “If anyone knows me, I’m not the person that plans my wedding and I was literally doing that with Joe,” she said. “But something weird about ending something with some that you thought you were going to marry [is] you almost feel like you have such a better idea of what you’re looking for.”

The now-exes both returned to the ABC dating series during season 7 last year. While the Bachelorette season 14 alum hit it off with eventual fiancée Serena Pitt, Long hoped for closure from her ex.

“She went on for another chance at finding love since she knew it could possibly work out for her again,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in August 2021. “It’s been over a year-and-a-half since they broke up, so she was ready to fall in love. … Kendall was not expecting Joe to be on Paradise but can’t say she was surprised. She had a feeling he was going to be there since he still has ties to the show [through his “Click Bait” podcast] and was single at the time.”

Amabile and the Canada native, 24, eventually got engaged during the BiP season finale, which aired in September 2021, and have since both relocated to New York City amid wedding plans.

“Obviously the plan was to move in together [before wedding planning]. We are thinking about 2023,” Amabile exclusively told Us last month. “I wouldn’t be shocked if near the end of 2023 [there] was a wedding.”

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source: usmagazine.com