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Rumors of Powell and Mortensen’s relationship began when Mortensen admitted to hooking up with her in a conversation with Taylor during season 4 of ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’
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Dakota Mortensen is dating Secret Lives of Mormon Wives guest Shinia Powell, PEOPLE can exclusively confirm
Rumors of the couple’s relationship first began to swirl after Mortensen told his ex Taylor Frankie Paul that he hooked up with Powell just before she left to film her season of The Bachelorette during season 4 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
News of the pair’s relationship comes amid Mortensen and Paul’s ongoing custody battle regarding their son Ever
Dakota Mortensen is dating Secret Lives of Mormon Wives guest Shinia Powell amid Mortensen’s ongoing legal battle with his ex Taylor Frankie Paul, PEOPLE can exclusively confirm.
After months of speculation about the pair’s rumored romance (which first began when Mortensen admitted to hooking up with her in a conversation with Taylor before she left to film The Bachelorette during season 4 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives), sources close to Mortensen and Powell tell PEOPLE that the pair are dating.
“Shinia has been a steady source of support for Dakota through some incredibly difficult times, especially when he did not have immediate family nearby,” the source tells PEOPLE. “Their close friendship has naturally grown into something more, and they are enjoying their time together while thoughtfully navigating what that means for them and their children.”
Continuing on, the source adds that, while they understand their relationship will likely attract media attention, “they respectfully ask that people remain mindful of their privacy and feelings as they work as a team to move forward in a healthy way within an already tumultuous environment.”
Confirmation of the couple’s relationship comes as Mortensen remains embroiled in a legal battle with Taylor relating to the custody of the pair’s child together, Ever, 2.
In a July 13 filing, obtained by PEOPLE, Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services filed a petition asking a juvenile court to find that Taylor’s three children — whom she shares with Mortensen and ex-husband Tate Paul — are “abused, neglected, or dependent” and order protective supervision and appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the children.
At the time, Mortensen and Tate released a joint statement to PEOPLE via their attorney, Chad Shattuck, sharing that the pair were “deeply concerned that Taylor’s statement minimizes the gravity of the action filed by DCFS and her many underlying actions that prompted such.”
The attorney wrote that both Tate and Mortensen “share the serious concern that the family court system, law enforcement, prosecutors, and child-welfare agencies need meaningful coordination necessary to understand the situation and act in a manner most likely to protect the children.”
“Tate and Dakota remain focused on protecting the children, giving them the time and space they need to heal, supporting meaningful accountability, and using what their families have experienced to help improve coordination between these systems in the future,” the statement continued.
“Despite the myriad false accusations published online and on social media about them by Taylor and others, Tate and Dakota have chosen not to participate in the often misconstrued social media and other online activity surrounding their cases. They have remained silent to protect their children, not because they have nothing to say. When the time is right, they will tell their story in their own words in the appropriate forum.”
“Juvenile court is private to protect the children’s privacy, and the other side leaking this information does the exact opposite,” a source connected to Taylor tells PEOPLE. “It speaks to the motivations here - someone is clearly acting in their own interest, not the children’s. This report also leaves out DCFS’s documented concerns about the other side, which are on record in district court and with law enforcement. The juvenile court will weigh all of that in full.”
The pair’s fraught relationship has consistently made headlines in the months since, particularly for the public release of a 2023 video depicting a violent altercation between Taylor and Mortensen, after which ABC promptly called off Taylor’s already filmed season of The Bachelorette.
Read the original article on People
