'Bachelorette' Emily Maynard: 'Fourth Engagement is My Last'
Former "Bachelorette" star Emily Maynard has been engaged four times and has now promised that this last engagement will in fact be her last. Maynard is currently engaged to automotive management consultant Tyler Johnson, and she and daughter Rikki have been busy picking out wedding cakes and dresses.
"I really mean it," Maynard told People of her engagement. "Johnson is my last. I'm actually making it to the marriage part this time. [The relationship] is everything I've been praying for for years."
It's been a rocky road for the couple who met while Maynard was teaching a jewelry making class at a middle school. There was an instant connection, one that carried over to church, where Johnson is an elder. However, at that time, Maynard was busy starting to film her own season of "The Bachelorette" after ending her engagement to Brad Womack from "The Bachelor."
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"I did a jewelry making class at a middle school that was adopted by my church and he's an elder at the church," Maynard said. "He would help me carry out the boxes. I thought, 'He's the nicest person.'"
Maynard got engaged to Jef Holm while on "The Bachelorette," and the couple looked ready to walk down the aisle, but things soured and they separated. There were accusations of infidelity on both sides, and the couple finally called it quits for good. After, Maynard reconnected with Johnson, and the two went on their official first date in January of 2013. Johnson proposed one year later, but the couple has not set a wedding date yet.
Of course, daughter Rikki will be one of the key stars of the wedding, as she is the most important person in Maynard's life. Her dad, NASCAR driver Ricky Hendrick, was engaged to Maynard but died in a 2004 plane crash. Since then, Rikki has been on "The Bachelorette" with her mom and is now helping her plan her wedding to Johnson.
"I keep telling Rikki it's just as much her wedding as it is mine," Maynard said. "It's been fun to see her get excited about it. I don't want to be Bridezilla," she joked. "I don't want any gifts. I don't need a toaster. I don't want a waffle maker. I just want everybody to come and chill and have fun."
