'Never got physical': Dan Swygart opens up about ex Shauna Rae, the 23-yr-old TLC star with dwarfism
LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK STATE: Dan Swygart is speaking up about his relationship with TLC actress Shauna Rae. He confessed in a recent interview that he and the 'I Am Shauna Rae' singer were "very, very close on an emotional level," but he denies that the connection ever became sexual.
In 2022, Dan began seeing Shauna, a TLC star who was born with pituitary dwarfism after being treated for brain cancer as an infant. Though the two remain close friends, they are still finding out what a relationship between the two of them would look like. Shauna admitted to kissing Dan at one point during their relationship last season on the program. Dan was chastised in January for his interest in Shauna, despite the fact that she is a 23-year-old with the physique of an 8-year-old. He justified their relationship by reminding naysayers that Shauna, whatever her physical looks, deserved to find romance and respect.
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'It never developed into a romance'
On the most recent episode of the podcast 'The Sarah Fraser Show,' Dan said that he and the 'I Am Shauna Rae' star never pushed their relationship to the next level. "On an emotional level, we got very, very close," he said. "I mean, it never got physical, we only kissed once. Of course, I wasn't present for extended periods of time... As a result, it never developed into a romance."
Dan, who is from Europe, stated that he and Shauna — both in real life and on the internet — were condemned when their relationship was captured on Season 2 of the TLC series.
"We went to a bar together with some of my friends, some of her friends, and her sister, and there was a restaurant. We were eating in the restaurant, then we went to a dance floor, there was a bouncer at the dance floor," he recounted. "He lets us all in, but he stops Shauna, and she's showing him her ID, and he's like, 'No, this can't be true, no, no, no, wait, no way,' and then the crazy thing was, in the corner a TV was playing, and it was her show." "People were taking their phones out, taking videos of her, so I had to go up to them and tell them to leave," he continued. "People came up to me, and they were like, 'Um, is it not past her bedtime?' This is just one evening, and it's just constant."
Dan went on to say that the criticism of the couple's relationship was especially painful for him, since some people felt he was sexually drawn to Shauna due to her 3'11" size. "With that just came this big, huge amount of hate, and I felt like the world was crushing me," he added. "Obviously the media and people, YouTubers as well, they categorized me in the most hated group of people on the planet." "Obviously, because of Shauna's condition ... they put me in that category. I just felt like that world was crushing me."
He was happy for the response he received after posting Instagram videos criticizing individuals who believe Shauna is unworthy of love due to her physical features. "I basically lost my faith in humanity, did these videos, and then a huge amount of love and support came, and I'm so thankful to the world," he added. "Because that's the lowest I've ever been in my life, with the world sort of crushing me like that, the world sort of saved [me], I had a huge amount of support."
"They started attacking all the negative comments, and people started deleting the negative comments and, yeah, the rainy clouds disappeared, and the sun started shining, and now it's all fine," he continued.
Dan Swygart on lessons he learnt from heartbreak
Dan will not be defeated by grief. He informed his Instagram followers about his most recent heartbreak, which occurred two years ago. When one of his followers sought assistance in navigating a broken heart, he translated his personal experience into counsel. "I think the most important thing is when you're going through a breakup is to focus solely on yourself," Dan stated while strolling on a beach. "Understand what you want in life and build yourself up," he added.
"Make yourself a better person, whether that's through fitness, through success, through education, through spirituality, through your close inner circle, a friend, just build yourself up to be the best your possibly can," he concluded.
Though Dan did not go into specifics regarding his breakup, he did elaborate on what helped him reinvent himself – and rediscover confidence in future relationships.