Francesca Farago is a Canadian social media influencer, model, and entrepreneur who rose to prominence after appearing on Netflix's popular reality dating show Too Hot to Handle. Since then, she has appeared in several shows and movies, including The Perfect Match and My Transparent Life.

Francesca is the owner and founder of swimwear brand Farago The Label, which features body-positive and environmentally friendly swimwear for men and women. She is an outspoken advocate for and part of the LGBTQ+ community and currently resides in Los Angeles with her fiancé Jesse Sullivan (part of the trans community.)

Francesca and Jesse are currently on a fertility journey with the hopes of expanding their family.

BELLA insider spoke with Farago to dive deeper into her life, relationship, and wedding plans…

Between wedding planning, IVF, and just being a true girl boss, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us. How are you?

Hey there! Thank you so much, I’m doing well! Stressed, overwhelmed, and busy, but overall doing well and hanging in there! With 6.1 million followers and growing, I could’ve never imagined that I’d be living my dream life at 30 (years old) and about to start a family with my dream man.

Do you feel there’s a difference between social media and real life when it comes to your perception with your audience?

I am so raw and authentic on social media that I feel like people get to know the real me. The reality TV version of me vs real life though, that’s a different story.

Let’s talk love! What captured your heart about Jesse?

The fact that he was a parent was the first thing that really drew me in. His story amazed me, and I thought he was so inspiring, strong, and extremely cute. We met during an interview, so I stalked his TikTok before officially meeting him. I knew a lot about his life before meeting him in person!

Finding love with Jesse, do you feel it has made you more open minded with the spectrum of identity?

I have always been very open minded about this! I will say though, being with Jesse has really opened my mind to the struggles the trans community faces every single day and it’s very heart breaking.

Can we be daring and ask… Two years of a beautiful relationship and counting, who made the first move?

I did! I always make the first move with people I date! When I see something that I want, I go after it! I knew I would date him the moment I saw him.

How’s wedding planning going? Can we expect multiple bridal looks? And is Jesse as equally into planning for the big day?

Having three dresses has always been my dream. I love Jesse’s style and taste so much that I love when he gives input and suggestions on what he wants for our wedding. But ultimately, Jesse always says “As long as I’m happy, he’s happy,” so final decisions will probably be up to me, ha! But we’ve paused wedding planning to focus on baby making first! We will start the planning back up again once I’m pregnant. :)

Speaking of your pregnancy journey, what information about IVF do you feel people may not be prepared for until experiencing the procedure firsthand?

IVF is intense. It’s extremely overwhelming, both physically and emotionally. Parents who have no other choice than do IVF to start a family are so strong. It takes a very strong-willed person to go through this process. There are so many hormones, injections, and pills that your body feels like it’s running a marathon while battling depression. It’s easy to just give up because of how hard it gets but the end goal of a baby is what keeps us going.

For the full interview with more on her swimwear line + summer style, visit bellamedia.co! And follow along with Francesca @FrancescaFarago.