Chrishell Stause Only Revealed Relationship with Jason Oppenheim Because 'We Were About to Get Outed'

Chrishell Stause is opening up about her romance with boss Jason Oppenheim — and how she'd wanted to keep it under wraps.

During a recent interview, the Selling Sunset star, 40, told Bustle that she would have preferred her budding relationship remain private, but felt pressure to share the news that she was dating her costar, 44.

"We were about to get outed, so it was either I post it, or somebody else was about to post it," Stause told the outlet of making their relationship Instagram official, noting that she still wants to keep things relatively low-key.

"I just wanted the freedom to be able to hold my boyfriend's hand," she added. "I knew it was going to be a thing."

Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim
Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim

Chrishell Stause/Instagram

RELATED: Chrishell Stause Shares Selfie With Boyfriend Jason Oppenheim, Jokes '#HeightAintNothingButaNumber'

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Stause and Oppenheim revealed their romance in July while on a European vacation with some of their Selling Sunset costars. They confirmed they were together when Stause posted a series of Instagram photos from their trip, including two photos of herself and Jason, one of which showed her planting a kiss on his head.

Chrishell and Jason Oppenheim
Chrishell and Jason Oppenheim

Chrishell Stause, Jason Oppenheim

Chrishell Stause Jason Oppenheim
Chrishell Stause Jason Oppenheim

Chrishell Stause/Instagram

The Days of Our Lives alum revealed in the interview that dating the broker was "unexpected" after their longstanding friendship with one another.

"I became best friends with someone platonically before it started to become romantic, so I just think that over time we both were surprised by it," she shared.

In July, while confirming the relationship to PEOPLE, Oppenheim said, "I care about her deeply and we are very happy together."

Chrishell Stause
Chrishell Stause

Chrishell Stause/instagram

RELATED: Chrishell Stause Reveals She Dated Jason Oppenheim for 2 Months Before Taking Relationship Public

Though Stause is loving her new relationship, she told Bustle that she's hoping to steer clear of discussing it regularly, noting a double standard she says she's witnessed for women in the spotlight who have their personal lives talked about more than their careers.

"For women, you can work so hard, and sometimes it's frustrating to feel like people only want to focus on who's in your bed," she told the outlet, noting the similarities during her split from her ex-husband, This Is Us star Justin Hartley, in November 2019. "This happened before when my whole divorce was so public, [but] nobody knew who I was or knew what I did."

She continued, "I'm just saying Jason doesn't get these questions. They're talking about real estate with him."

Selling Sunset
Selling Sunset

Lindy Lin/NETFLIX Selling Sunset cast

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Stause is gearing up for the upcoming season of Selling Sunset, which she revealed will show fans that there's more to her than her dating life. It was announced on Wednesday that the hit Netflix reality show's fourth season will premiere November 24 with returning cast members Stause, Oppenheim, Heather Rae Young, Mary Fitzgerald, Christine Quinn, Maya Vander, Davina Potratz, Brett Oppenheim, and some new faces.

Season 4 of Selling Sunset premieres Nov. 24. The first three seasons are available to stream on Netflix now.