Harry Jowsey is setting the record straight on those Rylee Arnold dating rumors once and for all.
“What if told you I was actually in a secret relationship at the start of Dancing With the Stars all those edits and all that stuff kind of brought me and my girlfriend at the time apart,” Jowsey, 26, revealed during the first episode of his “Boyfriend Material” podcast, which dropped earlier this week.
While Jowsey bleeped out his apparent ex’s name, he did tell her “I miss you,” before offering more details on what really went down with Arnold, 18. (Fans have since speculated about the identity of Jowsey’s ex, throwing around the name of some fellow reality stars on social media.)
Jowsey was paired up with Arnold during DWTS season 32 and fans were quick to speculate the two were more than friends. And to be fair, they also appeared to play into the showmance — as many DWTS duos have in the past.
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“Obviously, she was so sweet,” Jowsey said on his podcast about the first time he and Arnold met. “But remember, guys, I had a secret girlfriend at the time, so I wasn’t even thinking about that. I was on my good boy behavior.”
Because they were spending “at least 28 hours a week together,” he and Arnold got close.
“Rylee has seen me break down in the middle of practice,” he said. “She’s seen me at my best and my absolute worst. So, I think at those moments, you really bond with someone, especially when you go through stuff like that. We really started to get close when we shared what’s going on in our personal relationships.”
Jowsey made it clear that he was “not the right guy” for Arnold, so they “set boundaries from the start.” Mainly, Jowsey said he wanted to “protect” Arnold from all the drama in his life.
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“I’m sorry if this answer breaks some hearts, but I’m here to confirm once and for all, Rylee and I have never been [in] any type of relationship. We never leaned into it. We never were putting on an act or anything like that. It was just organic,” he added. “What you saw is kind of how it was. That was just amazing love and amazing friendship, and just an amazing bond that we had together.”
Fans were convinced that Jowsey and Arnold were dating after they were spotted holding hands during a Los Angeles outing in October 2023. Jowsey even purchased a $14,600 Van Cleef bracelet for Arnold after their DWTS season came to an end.
It appeared things were heating up as they continued to dance together, and the onscreen pair would often sing each other’s praises.
“She’s never in a bad mood and she’s always bubbly and brings me up when I’m feeling a little bit flat, or in my head about things, and knows when to sit me down and talk me out of whatever hump I’m in,” Jowsey told Us Weekly last October. “I feel like everyone needs that in a person in their life. She’s everything you could ever dream of.”