Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause has revealed that she is “open” to the possibility of having children on her own.
In an interview with People ahead of the release of her debut book, Under Construction: Because Living My Best Life Took a Little Work, Stause said the possibility of being a single parent seems both “scary” and “a little freeing”.
The reality TV star and estate agent was previously in a relationship with her boss and Selling Sunset co-star Jason Oppenheim.
In December 2021 the pair announced they had split because their views on starting a family were not “aligned”.
“It’s bittersweet. You can’t talk out this problem. It’s just something that, it is what it is,” Stause said of her and Oppenheim’s breakup.
“We’ll see what happens with my future, but I definitely think that I’m keeping all my options open,” she added, explaining that she is not opposed to exploring fertility routes that don’t require a partner.
“I would love for that [to meet someone] to happen, but if it doesn’t, I feel like I can do it on my own.
“That’s something that seems scary, but it also seems a little freeing, knowing that I’m not tied down to this idea that I only have this finite amount of time to figure it out.”
However, Stause clarified that she still has hope she will find and a partner and does not plan to explore fertility routes yet.
“I feel like it’s one of those things where I’m giving myself a certain amount of time,” she said.
“It’s 2022 and we have to kind of look at all options. I definitely have come around to the thought that, yes, I’m going to go and try and [find a partner], but if I don’t find that, that’s okay too.”
Stause was previously married to This Is Us actor Justin Hartley, who filed for divorce in November 2019 after two years of marriage.
News of the divorce and its impact on Stause was documented in the third season of Selling Sunet, during which she claimed Hartley had notified her of their separation via text.
Opening up about her past relationships, Stause told People that her experiences had changed her view of love and a “perfect romance”.
“My whole life, I had this idea of Cinderella – a guy sweeps you off your feet, you live happily ever after.
“But it’s a new world out there and I’ve just decided we were all messed up a little bit by Cinderella. Sometimes you have to be your own fairy godmother.”