It’s official, Bachelor Nation: Charity Lawson is engaged! The Bachelorette gained a fiancé during this week’s finale episode, giving Dotun Olubeko her final rose and kickstarting their exclusive relationship.
Charity and Dotun hopped on a Zoom call with Cosmopolitan as they took in the pomp and circumstance of their finale engagement, offering insights and stories along the way…and a healthy amount of relief that their romance doesn’t have to stay a secret anymore.
“Throughout watching the season, we’ve been praying and looking forward to this day,” Dotun said. “So for us to be here and have made it through—and not only made it through, but made it through stronger—, we are so grateful for everything. On top of the moon. Excited to do normal things and just live out our future together.”
Going from TV cameras tracing every relationship milestone to a much-quieter stretch where they couldn’t tell anyone they were engaged for fear of spoiling the show was an unusual plunge into a relationship, to say the least.
“It was extremely hard. Our closest friends, people start to piece things together and they start prying with more questions,” Charity said. “And I have a solid poker face, but it gets hard because you want to share it.”
It wasn’t always easy, but it also wasn’t always even possible. When Dotun returned to New York post-filming, his roommates picked up on some immediate differences that were impossible to hide completely.
“One thing that maybe was kind of funny, obviously going back home, I have roommates in New York. And it was like… ‘Why did this guy go from not FaceTiming ever to constantly being in his room?’ So trying to hide that was such a funny thing,” Dotun told Cosmo. “I think it worked for like a month and a half, because they were like, ‘Hold up. What is with this guy? He’s always laughing in his bedroom.’ [laughs] All of a sudden, I’m always on FaceTime with somebody. Obviously, they knew I was on the show, so I’m sure they pieced it together pretty early.”
Even while keeping things confidential, Charity and Dotun’s experience on the show has created a strong bond that transcends reality TV. Charity and Dotun even spent our Zoom call holding hands and sneaking smiles to each other throughout, so the ~vibes~ are best described as excellent. Part of that is how they approached their relationship post-show and the important conversations they had without anyone watching.
“There was a period after the proposal, we spent a few days together immediately after and there was so much silence of us just taking in this moment in the journey and also looking forward to what’s next. And honestly, thinking about the work that needs to continue to make this work,” Dotun said. “I feel like we did such a good job. She did such a good job for me, and I can only hope that I do the same for her.”
“We just share such similar qualities. I think our maturity also is just very spot on, we really both have the same mindset, which is why this works so well,” Charity said.
Charity and Dotun’s love story is only just getting started, but if you want to relive the romance, you can watch it all unfold on The Bachelorette, which streams on Hulu. 🌹
WATCH ‘THE BACHELORETTE’ ON HULU HERE
News and Pop Culture Director
Alexandra Whittaker oversees all of Cosmo’s news and entertainment digital coverage—follow her on Instagram here. As the lead of two teams, Alexandra manages stellar writers and editors who deliver your daily dose of celebrity, TV, movie, book, general entertainment and pop culture news. She’s known for her strategic coverage calls and celebrity interviewing skills. Awards shows are her favorite thing, and she’s a proud Northwestern and Marquette alumna.