Farmer Wants a Wife star Karli Hinkley is engaged and pregnant, weeks after facing backlash for concealing her romance with Mitchell Gorman while her relationship with fellow contestant Bert Harris was still airing on the dating show.
Hinkley, 32, appeared on the 14th season of the Channel Seven series and was paired with pineapple farmer Bert Harris. She has since moved from Geelong to Neerim South, Victoria, where she now lives with potato farmer Mitchell Gorman.
The marketing manager announced her engagement on Instagram on Saturday, sharing a photo of herself cuddling Gorman while showing off her engagement ring.
"It was always you and now it's forever," Hinkley wrote. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you always and forever."
The engagement announcement came two weeks after Hinkley revealed she is expecting her first child with Gorman. She shared a photo baring her baby bump while gazing at her partner, captioned: "Baby Gorman due December."
Secret romance controversy
Hinkley sparked controversy during her season of Farmer Wants a Wife after it emerged she had been secretly dating Gorman while her on-screen relationship with Bert Harris was still being broadcast.
A source close to Hinkley said at the time that her contract with Channel Seven had required her to conceal her dating status from the public.
"The show wrapped in December last year and Karli was actually done with filming in November," the source said. "She has had plenty of time to put the show behind her. The final edit has been quite cringeworthy at times but with her heart and mind elsewhere Karli has been happy to laugh it off and play along with Channel Seven."
Bert Harris's exit
Harris exited the show before choosing a final partner, disappointing his top picks Caitlin Crank, Brooke McCallum and Hinkley.
Hinkley went Instagram official with Gorman shortly after rumours emerged that she had found love outside the show, prompting a mixed reaction from fans.
"Wait. What? Weren't you publicly declaring your love for a pineapple dude a minute ago?" one viewer wrote online.
"That didn't take long after you were so in love with Bert," another commented, while a third wrote: "Someone's determined to find a life partner... slow down woman."
