Kate Gosselin lands her own dating show called 'Kate Plus Date'
The single mother of eight is ready to be taken off the market
The single mother of eight is ready to be taken off the market
Kate Gosselin is enlisting the help of TV producers to help her find love in a new reality show called "Kate Plus Date."
“I’m nervous, I’m excited, and I’m forcing myself to do this,” Gosselin told .
The 43-year-old single mother of eight first appeared on TLC in 2007 with her then-husband Jon Gosselin on "Jon and Kate Plus 8," a series that documented the lives of the couple as they raised their twins, Cara and Madelyn, and their sextuplets, Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah and Joel. However, Kate and Jon divorced in December 2009 after 10 years of marriage.
“I am very relieved that our divorce has been finalized, and I look forward to the New Year, focusing on the children,” Kate said in a statement that year. “On behalf of myself and my legal team, I want to express my deep appreciation to the Judge and his staff, as well as to the arbitrator, for resolving this case.”
Ten years after the split, in the fall of 2019, Gosselin's daughters Cara and Maddy will head to college. Gosselin said the upcoming life change has left the teens concerned about their mother's own future.
“As we’re talking about Mady and Cara going off to college, which is becoming more and more of a reality, it’s gonna happen, it almost became like a worry for them, too, like ‘Mommy, you’re gonna be all alone soon,’” Gosselin shared. “But it was very apparent, now that they’re older and talking about dating and how they’re all gonna get married someday … it became apparent: they want someone for me. They want me to have somebody in my life.”
admitted that she also began to worry about ending up alone.
"[I] started picturing myself sitting in a rocking chair, knitting, and words like ‘old maid’ and ‘spinster’ started to come to mind, and I realized that no, I don’t want that to be my fate," she said.
The reality star, who has also appeared on shows like "Dancing With the Stars" and "Celebrity Apprentice," said she decided to have producers help her find dates because dating like a normal person is much scarier for her than doing it on camera.
“If I’m going to date someone, I can’t just go out on a date," she shared. "It’s creepy to me to think of just going out somewhere with some stranger, and so I actually feel like doing it like this is the best and safest way for me to go on a date — a camera crew will be there! I’ll be safe! And the person will have been vetted by a matchmaker.”
Gosselin said she hopes to find a man who is established in his career, a and who would like to forge a friendship with her kids.
“I do want someone with a set career, who is confident," she said. "A grown-up with their own life, their own agenda, who knows who they are. If someone travels for work, that would be great, because I’m used to being on my own and being self-sufficient.
“[I] would love my kids to have a mutual friendship and respect with this guy and for him to be someone they can ask for advice," she continued. "It would be great for my kids to have someone they can feel like is a real friend.”
Kate's ex, Jon, has been dating a woman named Colleen Conrad since 2015, according to . In February, Jon a photo of him, his girlfriend and his daughter Hannah hanging out together at a sporting event.
Jon has not commented on Kate's new show, which premieres this fall on TLC.