Who is Shauna Rae’s boyfriend? TLC’s Shauna Rae says she attracts “Creeps” — Has she found love since filming?
TLC’s latest reality series, I Am Shauna Rae, follows 22-year-old Shauna Rae who, as she explains it, is “stuck” in the body of an 8-year-old.
When she was just 6 months old, Shauna was diagnosed with brain cancer. Luckily, chemotherapy saved her life, but it also affected her pituitary gland, which was “rendered almost dormant,” irrevocably stunting her growth.
As viewers prepare to learn more about Shauna, who has pituitary dwarfism and get an inside look at what her life is like today, many are wondering whether the 22-year-old has a boyfriend. Keep reading for what we know about Shauna Rae‘s romantic life.
Does Shauna Rae have a boyfriend?
Though Shauna Rae realized that she was different from her peers around the age of 5 or 6, “it wasn’t until junior high [and] high school that it actually took an effect on my mental health,” the reality star revealed in a video interview with People. At 16, Shauna learned she wouldn’t grow past her 3-foot-10-inch frame.
“It was a very difficult time, it probably was the lowest time of my life because I always imagined that I would be tall. Getting that news was kind of like a hammer crashing into glass,” she said. Shauna subsequently retreated from her daily life, opting to start online school, and prioritizing self-acceptance.
The fruits of her labor are a lot of what viewers will get to see in TLC’s I Am Shauna Rae, which premieres on Jan. 11 and chronicles Shauna’s life at home with her parents and two sisters in Pennsylvania. Judging from the series’ trailer, audiences will get to see the 22-year-old contend with the daily struggles of looking like a child while asserting her adult independence to buy a drink, get a tattoo, take a pole-dancing class, and go on dates.
What is Shauna’s relationship status now?
Speaking of dating, is there a special someone in Shauna’s life these days? On the series, the brunette explains her “relationship status is single.” “It is scary to put myself out there but you have to put some risk in to get happiness,” she says, while trying to figure out what to say in the bio of the dating profile she’s creating.
It appears we’ll be seeing some of Shauna’s dates on screen, though it’s unclear to what degree they’ll be successful. In the trailer, we watch Shauna meet a blind date who initially thinks he’s being “punked” due to her appearance.
“My romantic life kind of sucks. I think I’ve dated, like, seven people,” she admits. “I attract creeps, a–holes, you know, like the typical quote-unquote bad boy, and idiots.”
Speaking with People, she expanded on what she looks for in a man. “I have to have in-person conversations before we even think about going on a date. I have to know how this person reacts in public areas. I have to know if they’re going to deal with all the issues I have because I can’t date someone unless they can take all of that on,” she said. “And that’s a lot to ask of someone.”
The toughest part about finding someone, she told US, is making sure they know what they’re getting into.
“I think the biggest challenge I face when it comes to dating is if the guy can handle all the hurdles he’s gonna have to jump,” she explained. “A lot of the times people say they can handle it, and then when they’re faced with it, it’s a whole different experience. Especially now that there’s a TV show, there’s a whole different kinda experience going on.”
In an interview with E! Online ahead of her series’ premiere, Shauna Rae revealed that she’s currently still single, but is receiving an outpouring of support from around the world since the trailer for I Am Shauna Rae dropped. “It’s a great opportunity to meet people that understand me fully, and I think I’m going to make a lot of amazing friendships through this,” she said. “If a relationship happens out of one of those friendships, then it does. I’m not really looking for a relationship. If it happens, it happens.”
In Season 2, Shauna went on a promising date with a man named Thomas.
In the Season 2 premiere of I Am Shauna Rae, she went on a date with a volunteer firefighter named Thomas who also has pituitary dwarfism. The two met via a matchmaker which leads to a pretty adorable blind date at the firehouse.
“I’m a little nervous, but at the same time am super excited to meet someone who’s gone through something very similar to me,” Shauna says before meeting Thomas. “I’m interested to see the similarities and the differences.”
Initially, Shauna is concerned about the fact that Thomas, at 4-foot-8, is nearly a foot taller than her. But their differences don’t stop there, and Shauna hopes viewers will see that a shared diagnosis is not enough to make a romantic connection.
“I kinda did feel like I was on a firehouse tour versus a date,” she says.
Despite what they didn’t have in common, the pair bonded over their life goals such as hoping to someday be homeowners. In a very touching moment, Thomas and Shauna revealed the ways in which people have treated them unkindly due to their disability. Thomas told Shauna that he doesn’t let the cruelty of others define him, which she found to be incredibly inspiring.
Is Shauna Rae dating Dan?
Later on in Season 2 of her TLC series, Shauna’s meet-up with a different man was featured. “I’ve been talking to this guy named Dan recently, and we’ve been talking for a bit,” she said on the show. “And he’s actually visited once before, but this is the first time we’ll be hanging out this long — and this will also be the first time he’s meeting my mom.”
Shauna’s mom Patty and step-dad Mark definitely had some questions for Dan while he was making sushi at their house. They asked Dan, who loves to travel, if he would expect Shauna to tag along with him if they started dating.
“I think traveling will always be a big part of my life,” Dan said. “So I’ll always be going somewhere … One thing I’d love to give to Shauna is the ability to see the world and different cultures, different places. So I’d love to show her somewhere amazing around the world.”
After some rapid-fire questioning, however, Mark seemingly approved of Dan.
“I think Dan would be a really good match for Shauna because he’s very smart, adventurous — and Shauna’s smart, not very adventurous,” he said. “I think that he could pull her out of the comfort zone but still make her feel safe.”
That said, Shauna did tease “a lot of potential with a couple people that I’ve talked to,” so we’ll just have to wait and see if things turn romantic with any of them in the future.
I Am Shauna Rae airs on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC and on the Discovery Plus app.
