By
Jade Watkins
Last updated at 1:23 PM on 25th January 2012
Should everything go to plan Emily Maynard will be receiving a marriage proposal soon.
And it appears that she is already testing out how it will feel when she is engaged.
The 25-year-old single star of the upcoming season of The Bachelorette was spotted out and about in North Carolina on Sunday wearing a ring on her wedding finger.
Practicing for the real deal? The new Bachelorette Emily Maynard was spotted out and about in North Carolina on Sunday wearing a ring on her wedding finger
The jewellery in question seemed to be of a filigree design and didn’t appear to feature a diamond.
Looking super toned in a black T-shirt and pair of leggings, the beautiful blonde, who was once engaged to The Bachelor’s Brad Womack, went to the gym with a friend.
No diamond? The jewellery in question seemed to be of a filigree design and didn’t appear to feature a diamond
Following the session she picked her six-year-old daughter Ricky up from a friend’s house.
The little girl, who is the splitting image of her stunning mother, kept warm in a padded jacket and Ugg boots.
Emily, who was said to be dating Carolina Panthers player Jeremy Shockey following her highly publicised split from Womack, has just signed on to star in The Bachelorette.
She will star in the eighth season of the reality dating TV show, with filming commencing this March.
Her appearance comes after she was infamously proposed to by Womack in the last year’s season of The Bachelor, only to split up with him just weeks later.
According to Us Weekly, she was said to had recently moved on from Womack by dating pro football player Jeremy Shockey.
Shockey, 31, is a tight end for the Carolina Panthers and he and Emily live in the same Southern state.
Splitting image: Following her gym session she picked her mini-me six-year-old daughter Ricky up from a friend’s house
‘They were set up on a blind date,’ a pal of the single mother Maynard told the magazine.
Their matchmaker was a mutual friend on the Panthers staff, who thought that the two would hit it off.
The two decided to have dinner at BLT Steak in Charlotte’s Ritz-Carlton hotel.
The friend added: ‘They’ve been out five times. Emily thinks Jeremy is nice, but she’s just having fun.
Former love: Emily’s role on The Bachelorette comes after she was
infamously proposed to by Womack in the last year’s season of The
Bachelor, the couple eventually split
But it appears that the short-lived romance is over, with Maynard beginning her quest to find ‘the one’ this March.
According to Us Weekly the North Carolina native was unsure about taking the role at first before having a ‘change of heart’.
‘She’s looking for a man… not a little boy,’ a friend of Maynard told the magazine.
The formula for next season’s series will reportedly be slightly tweaked.
Heartache: Maynard has experienced her fair share of relationship heartbreak
Instead of sharing a house in Los Angeles, the men vying for Maynard’s love will all be making the journey to her hometown instead.
Dating: According to Us Weekly, Maynard was said to have been dating pro football player Jeremy Shockey
‘The guys will be flying to her. We’re switching things up a bit,’ an insider told Us.
Her appearance on the show comes after Maynard has experienced her fair share of relationship heartbreak.
Her fiance Ricky Hendrick died in a plane crash right after Maynard discovered she was pregnant with her daughter, Ricky and she experience a tumultuous time with Brad, 38.
She was about to move herself and six-year-old little girl to Brad’s home in Austin, Texas last year, but decided to stay put when the two split had split earlier.
After months of speculation that the two had called it quits, Maynard finally revealed the truth during an emotional July 2011 Bachelor special.
Of the reason behind her split she would only say that ‘just because we love each other doesn’t mean we’re right for each other.’
Breaking down in tears, Maynard said she was disappointed.
‘I wanted to be married and have more children, but I doubted he was going to still want to be with me,’ she told Bachelor host Chris Harrison.
‘As a single mom, I don’t have the luxury of saying “we’ll figure it out when we get there.” I need that reassurance that he’d want to be with me six weeks down the road much less six years.’
Share this article:
Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.
The comments below have not been moderated.
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
I think Emily is a beautiful young woman who truly deserves to find happiness. Who says she will not find the perfect guy on The Bachelorette? I do not believe that she will set a bad example for her daughter by simply kissing the bachelors pursuing her. How narrow minded!! She appeared to be extremely conscientious when she was dating Brad. I think she will be a great bachelorette, and I believe she will handle herself in a dignified way – simply because she is a mother. I wish her the best in her quest for true love. I also wish her strength in her dealings with papparazzi. I have a feeling she is going to need it – they are a relentless group of bottomfeeders.
Report abuse
I think that she missed being in the spotlight. I have heard rumors that she originally went on Brad’s season to further her career and that she really wants to be famous. She is now going to be “dating” several men, possibly kissing several men in order to find “mr.right”, dont see how that is a great example to set for her daughter. More publicity for her and now her daughter will also be exposed to all the paparazzi media. I think she knows going in she will get lots of publicity. Falling in love and getting married is the last thing she’s interested in, in my opinion. I really do like her and hope that she is in it for the right reasons, for her daughter’s sake. If anything, I do love her fashion choices and would be tuning in to see what she’s wearing…lol
Report abuse
A person can wear a ring on any finger they want; it does not necessarily mean anything.
Report abuse
I really wish the media would stop referring to Emily as Ricky Hendrick’s fiancee because she wasn’t. She was acknowledged as his girlfriend and was lucky enough to get pregnant and get some of the Hendrick money as a result. So that little girl has the double whammy of having a father who died before she was born and a mother who uses her as a meal ticket and a sympathy crutch on a reality show. Yeah, she won’t be too messed up when she gets older.
Report abuse
Emily, darling if I don’t “have the luxury of figuring it out when you get there” and need stability then WHY would you waste your time and your daughter’s time looking for LASTING LOVE on a reality show proven to have a terrible track record.?? You’re gambling against the odds, Hun. Not the smartest move – well unless your true motivation is fame. Then you’re just like the rest of them and quit trying to pretend you’re not.
Report abuse
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.