It turns out two former 'Bachelor NZ' contestants are now dating each other

Former Bachelor and Bachelorette NZ contestants Quinn Ryan and Claudia Hoskins are now dating each other.

Ryan, who made it to the top three on Lily McManus' season of the Bachelorette, confirmed to Spy that he is dating Hoskins, who also made it to third place on Zac Franich's season of The Bachelor.

"I already knew of Claudia from when she was on The Bachelor a couple of years ago," Ryan told Spy.

Quinn Ryan made it to Lily McManus's top three before being sent home. She gave her final rose to Richie Boyens. 

"I bumped into her at Chapel Bar in Auckland a couple of months ago and we got on really well. We definitely click!"

While Ryan says he hasn't yet "made it official", he "likes the direction it is going".

The pair are currently doing long distance, as Ryan lives in Hawke's Bay while Hoskins is based in Auckland.

"She has been down to the Bay a few times and I am always in Auckland so it works well," explained Ryan.

Last week Hoskins took to Instagram to share a photo of her and Ryan together in Hawke's Bay.

After leaving The Bachelor mansion in 2017, Hoskins spoke out about her mental health struggles.

In an interview with Woman's Day magazine, she revealed she once intentionally drove her car off the road after discovering her then-boyfriend was cheating on her.

Claudia Hoskins was also sent home after making it to third place on Zac Francich's season of The Bachelor in 2017.

Hoskins said the accident was a turning point in her life and ultimately made her a much stronger person, to the point where she felt ready to tackle The Bachelor.

In a 2017 blog post, Hoskins also alleged The Bachelor NZ producers "controlled the contestant's weight" and claimed that Tim Tam biscuits - one of the show's sponsors - were "banned" from the mansion due to weight gain.

This article was first published on the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.