Melissa Rycroft

BIO
This is Melissa Rycroft. She used to be a cheerleader with the Dallas Cowboys, and hails from that fine state of Texas.

But much as we love cheerleaders, that's not how we know her.

Rycroft was a contestant on Season 13 of The Bachelor. She actually earned Jason Mesnick's final rose and enjoyed a few weeks of happiness. Until he dumped her on national TV for another Bachelor suitor, that is. Ouch!

But that's okay, M. Ry bounced back and is now engaged to Tye Strickland.

Melissa quickly became a national sensation, too. Her first step after having her heart broken for all to see? Rycroft joined season eight of Dancing with the Stars. She performed very well on it, finishing in third place.

A year ago, Melissa Rycroft couldn't have been farther off the celebrity gossip radar.

Now, months after being dumped on national TV by Jason Mesnick, the former reality TV star has come full circle: she's happily married and gracing the cover of In Touch Weekly.

Inside the issue, the beautiful new bride gushes about her dream wedding, which took place opposite Tye Strickland in Isla Mujeres, Mexico on December 12.

"I was fine until 'Here Comes the Bride' started," Rycroft said "I think everything hit me at once. My dad started to walk down the aisle, and I just stopped him. I grabbed his arm, and I was like, 'Hold on,' and I started crying. And I saw Tye, and bless his heart, he had these big tears in his eyes, too. It was very emotional."

Melissa's Quote

"  I'm a southern girl. You make it fried, I will eat it."