Ariana Biermann saw a serious future with Liam McGinniss before her relationship decisions complicated their connection on “Next Gen NYC.”
During an appearance on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s “Off the Vine” podcast, Biermann opened up about navigating dating after ending her longtime relationship with Hudson McLeroy. She revealed just how strongly she initially felt about McGinniss.
“I told my mom I’m going to marry him,” Biermann said.
The reality star believes those feelings ultimately contributed to her pulling away. After years in an on-and-off relationship with McLeroy, Biermann described McGinniss as offering something dramatically different.
She called the potential relationship “healthy” and “safe,” but admitted that realizing how serious it could become frightened her.
GettyAriana Biermann Says Liam McGinniss Felt Like a Future Husband
Biermann said she met McGinniss about a month after becoming single and quickly connected with him.
She praised his humor, creativity, honesty and ambition, explaining that she was initially completely prepared to pursue their relationship. That changed when her feelings became more intense.
“I think it got really real and it scared me,” Biermann said.
After speaking with her therapist, Biermann came to believe that she was not accustomed to the type of relationship McGinniss represented.
Her previous relationship with McLeroy stretched on and off for nearly a decade, beginning when the two were teenagers. Biermann explained that they essentially grew up together and experienced multiple stages of their lives alongside each other.
McGinniss represented the opposite experience.
Biermann said she had previously told her mother that McGinniss was the kind of person she could marry. When he eventually told Biermann he loved her, however, she became scared.
She had only experienced that kind of love with one person before.
“There was no ugly,” Biermann said of McGinniss. “He just was a good person.”
When Bristowe asked whether she subconsciously sabotaged the relationship, Biermann agreed.
“Absolutely,” she said.
Ariana Biermann Explains What Happened With Charlie
Around the same time, Biermann was also receiving attention from Charlie Zakkour.
Unlike McGinniss, Biermann said she never pictured a serious relationship with Zakkour. That lack of long-term potential actually made the situation feel less intimidating to her.
“I never wanted to be with Charlie as my boyfriend,” she said.
Biermann said flirting with Zakkour felt comfortable because she did not envision him becoming her husband or the father of her children. McGinniss, meanwhile, felt like someone who potentially could fill those roles.
“That I think is what scared the s— out of me,” she said.
Biermann ultimately kissed Zakkour. She clarified that she and McGinniss were not exclusive at the time and said they had previously discussed her remaining free to date other people.
McLeroy was ultimately the person who told McGinniss about the kiss. Biermann said she had intended to tell McGinniss herself because the moment was filmed and she did not want him to be blindsided.
Although McGinniss was upset, that was not immediately the end of their connection. Biermann revealed they later spent Christmas together and said he forgave her.
Looking back, Biermann acknowledged that she was not in a good place at the time and has spent months working through her decisions.
She said the experience ultimately taught her more about herself and the patterns she does not want to repeat as she figures out what she wants from relationships moving forward.
