DWTS Alum Hard Launches Relationship With New Boyfriend 6 Years After Divorce

Audrina Patridge is in a new relationship.

“The Hills” star, who competed on “Dancing With the Stars” season 11 in 2010,  went Instagram official with boyfriend Michael Ray on July 9, 2024. It is unclear how long Patridge, 39, has been dating the 36-year-old country singer. But things looked serious in the photo she shared with her 2 million followers.

“There’s a lot of things in life worth letting go. But the ones that mean the most, you gotta hold 🤍,” Patridge captioned a pic of her cozied up, nose-to-nose with her man as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

Patridge’s caption is a lyric from Ray’s song “Hold”, which was released in May 2024.

Ray reposted the photo on his Instagram story. On his main page, he mentioned Patridge in a post about drinking celery juice. “Audrina and I have been doing one glass a day and I’ve been feeling great,” he wrote on July 10.

On July 11, he shared a series of photos with Patridge on his Instagram page. “Life lately. Wine, her, country music, freedom, grilling and celery juice,” he captioned the photos.

“Life with you is ❤️,” Patridge commented.

According to Taste of County, Patridge was first spotted with Ray at Stagecoach in April. The outlet noted that she also previously shared a photo of herself kissing a mystery man, who fans now know is Ray.

Fans Reacted to Audrina Patridge’s New Romance

After Patridge posted her photo, friends and fans reacted in the comment section, and those in the know alluded to the fact that the relationship had been going on for a while.

One of the first to comment was Ray, who expressed gratitude for having Patridge and her 8-year-old daughter Kirra in his life. “Let’s go babe!!! Grateful for you and Kirra ❤️♾️,” the singer wrote.

Patridge replied back with two heart emoji: “❤️❤️.”

“Yay!!!!! Finally!!!!! The secret is out 😍😍 so happy for you both!” wrote celebrity trainer Paulina Hefferan.

“Love looks good on you guys ❤️,”  added Patridge’s sister, Casey Loza.

“All the years of watching you with some ungrateful men, I just love how happy you finally look …Love this for you ❤️,”  another fan wrote.

Fans have seen several of Patridge’s difficult relationships play out on TV and in tabloids. She had a messy, on-and-off romance with Justin “Bobby” Brescia while on “The Hills” from 2006 to 2010.

Patridge was later married to Corey Bohan from 2016 to 2018. The former MTV star welcomed daughter Kirra with Bohan,  but in her memoir “Choices: To the Hills and Back Again,” she alleged that her ex-husband repeatedly cheated on her and once shoved her as she held their daughter.

In 2019, Patridge accused Bohan of domestic violence and was granted a temporary restraining order against him, E! News confirmed at the time. Patridge later told the outlet she was hesitant to date as a single mom. “I went through it the hard way,” she said of her split. “I have my daughter 24/7, so when I do go on a date, I don’t want to waste my time because I could be with my daughter.”

Michael Ray Was Briefly Married to Singer Carly Pearce

GettyNASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JUNE 05: Carly Pearce and Michael Ray attend the 2019 CMT Music Awards at Bridgestone Arena on June 05, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CMT)

Like Patridge, Ray also had a short-lived marriage. He was married to fellow country singer Carly Pearce from October 2019 to June 2020.

In a 2023 interview on Bobby Bones’ podcast “Bobby Cast,” Ray admitted the marriage was doomed before it began.  He acknowledged that he and Pearce should have sought premarital counseling before tying the knot and cited their busy tour schedules as part of their problem. “We weren’t around each other a lot,” he explained. “To be honest, I think I knew in the beginning, or around that time, that this was something we probably should have slowed down.”

Ray admitted that he “dropped the ball in a lot of ways” with Pearce, whom she described as his “opposite.” “I didn’t show up after our wedding day, because by that point in time, there was a lot of stuff that she didn’t show up for,” he told Bones. “And it was just kind of like — there was stuff that happened that day where I was like, ‘I’m done. I’m out.’” Ray added, “I haven’t seen or spoken to her in three-and-a-half years. I went my way, she went hers.”

In 2020, Pearce told People magazine that her love for Ray “was real.” “I did everything that I knew how to do,” the “Truck on Fire” singer said. “It takes two people to work on something. When you love somebody, you trust them. … It was very clear that this was not the marriage that I wanted.”