Melissa Rycroft is pregnant, the new issue of Us Weekly reports exclusively!
"It was a shock. We weren't even trying," says Rycroft Strickland, who capped off an emotional 2009 — in which she was publicly dumped on The Bachelor before rebounding with a triumphant turn on Dancing With the Stars — with her December wedding to insurance agent Tye Strickland.
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"It's the most wonderful surprise in the world," adds Rycroft Strickland, who is due in February. "It's such a blessing."
Now cohost of ABC's Bachelor Pad (which debuts Aug. 9), Rycroft Strickland, 27, tells Us starting a family was the last thing on her mind: "He wanted the kids right away, and I was laughing at him going, 'No, not ready!'"
While the big news is still sinking in, Rycroft Strickland says her solid relationship with her man, 29, has helped her stay calm — and she can't imagine having a child with anyone else.
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"He's actually cried more than I have," she tells Us. "Tye is caring, he's funny. He's going to be a great dad."
Rycroft Strickland — who just bought a new home near Dallas with her husband — says she's hoping for a boy, and he wants a girl. "We're going to find out as soon as we can," she says.
In the meantime, the host jokes that she's "eating everything in sight" and craving no-nos like sushi and sub sandwiches.
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"Knowing me, I'm going to swell and gain 90 pounds," she says. "But it's not about me anymore!"
For more on Rycroft-Strickland's pregnancy, check out the new issue of Us Weeky.
