The Bachelorette: Who is Gabby Windey?
FORMER Denver Broncos cheerleader Gabby Windey was one of two bachelorettes in season 19 of The Bachelorette.
Her temporary stint with Erich Schwer was made famous by The Bachelorette, but now it seems she's found a new love.
Who is Gabby Windey?
Gabby Windey, 31, is originally from O'Fallon, Illinois but moved to Colorado, where she was hired as a cheerleader for NFL's Denver Broncos.
She cheered for the team from 2016 through the end of the 2019-2020 season.
However, aside from her rise as a well-known reality TV personality, Windey was a nurse for three years before joining the Denver Broncos in 2016.
She used her experience during the Covid-19 pandemic and her nursing experience to assist where hospitals were short-staffed and in dire need of help.
During that time, she worked 12 hours or more. She won the Pop Warner Humanitarian Award in 2020 – alongside the Cleveland Chiefs lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif – making her the first woman to receive the award.
Typically, only NFL players receive the award.
Pop Warner Little Scholars released a press statement at the time: "Windey and Duvarney-Tardif's selflessness and commitment to helping others are an embodiment of sacrifice and teamwork, making them model representatives for young student-athletes across the nation."
She moved on to reality TV when she appeared as a contestant on The Bachelor, where she competed for Clayton Echard's heart.
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After Echard proposed to another woman, Windey went on to find love as one of two bachelorettes on season 19 of The Bachelorette.
She ended the season with an engagement to Erich Schwer. She spoke about her family life while on the show, revealing she isn't close to her mom.
However, less than two months after the season ended, reported that they were calling off their engagement.
"She felt they weren't aligned and weren't on the same page," the insider told E!
"Gabby was hoping they could give each other space and work it out but ultimately decided they didn't have a future."
Who is Gabby Windey dating?
On August 2, 2023, Windey sat down on The View to discuss her love life, and came out to the public.
"I’ve had such an amazing experience with my time on Bachelorette and Bachelorette," she said. "...And now that’s how people know me.
"And I always just want to live my truth and my story," she added. "So, I have been seeing someone for a couple of months, and I’ve been keeping it a little more private because it is a bigger story and a bigger conversation because I’m dating a girl."
After the episode wrapped, she revealed the identity of her girlfriend on Instagram: a woman named Robby Hoffman.
When was Gabby Windey on The Bachelorette?
Gabby Windey appeared alongside Rachel Recchia in season 19 of The Bachelorette.
It was the first time two women appeared on the show simultaneously, and the men could pick which woman they wanted to pursue.
This was not without some drawbacks, as contestant Logan Palmer told Recchia he was switching to pursue Windey instead.
He told Recchia: "I have feelings for Gabby…. I'm going to have to step away from pursuing things with you."
In an Instagram post, Palmer apologized to Recchia and wrote: "I'm sorry that I added more difficulty to an already challenging journey.
"That was never my intention, but it was inspiring how strong you were through it all."
Windey did eventually choose Erich Schwer, who got down on one knee in the season finale despite him expressing his doubts in the previous episode.
"I think I want to date you," Schwer told Windey after hometown, confessing he wasn't sure if he was ready to propose.
Windey later told producers: "He said, 'I want to continue to date you.' That doesn't scream; I want to propose.
"What am I supposed to do? Walk away because he doesn't want to propose?" Gabby asked and called the event a "dumpster fire" and a "big mess."
The couple is still engaged following the season finale. "There's lots of excitement," Windey told .
She added: "There's also some fear because you don't know what you're really walking into. It's a whole new world post filming!"
While they waited for the season to end, Windey said maintaining communication in their relationship required plenty of FaceTime dates.
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"It was hard to not be there in person and have to support from afar, for sure.
"It's strengthened our communication, and hopefully, we'll have a whole new part of our relationship to explore," Windey said.