Gael Cameron Admits She Wished She Had "Just Stayed Friends" With Nathan Gallagher

Bravo's reality TV series Below Deck Mediterranean has earned a reputation for delivering both excitement and drama to TV screens around the world. In Season 5, Hannah was confronted about her Valium stash, while Season 6 featured Ashton being pulled into the water by a rope. The thrill continued in Season 9 with the show introducing a new deckhand (and model), Gael Cameron, who was off-the-market at the time.

During her time in Season 9, we witnessed Gael's relationship with her now-ex come to an end, with Nathan stepping in as a supportive friend. The two grew very close, and eventually, sparks began to fly between them. So, who is Gael dating now, and what really happened between her and Nathan?

First and foremost, it seems Gael is currently single. When she first joined the Season 9 cast, she introduced herself as having a boyfriend, which led internet sleuths to dig into his identity since she didn’t share many details. While an initial rumor suggested her mystery ex was Culver Bradbury from Below Deck Down Under, those rumors have since been put to rest.

Although Gael hasn’t revealed who her ex is, she admitted during the Below Deck Med Aftershow that she learned a lot from the relationship but realized he “couldn’t hold it out for two weeks, let alone six.” Despite her best efforts to stay in touch, it just wasn’t enough. Gael confessed that over time, she built up resentment and eventually couldn’t bring herself to say "I love you" anymore. The two eventually broke up in the middle of Season 9 over text.

While the breakup hit Gael hard, it opened the door for Nathan to make his move. The two grew close and eventually started dating, but it seems their relationship didn’t last long after Season 9 wrapped.

Nathan and Gael ultimately went their separate ways due to the distance. After returning home to separate time zones — with Gael in Australia — Nathan started a new job, which made it difficult for them to communicate, the deckhand divulged in another clip of the Below Deck Med Aftershow. According to Nathan, they were only able to say good morning and good night, which led him to “start second-guessing everything.”

While Gael mentioned that they had tried to make plans to see each other, considering Nathan’s one-month-on, one-month-off schedule, Nathan admitted that he told Gael he wasn’t sure if it was going to work. At one point, Gael said they went two weeks without a phone call, adding that Nathan “just ghosted [her].”

After confronting him, Gael says Nathan told her that his ex had called and that he “[wanted] to give it another go.” Nathan later reached back out to Gael, and when she asked about his ex, he claimed they never really got back together, though she admitted she didn’t fully believe him.

Despite this, Gael acknowledged that "it was really great," referring to her relationship with Nathan, but also said: "He just has a lot of emotional maturing to do. I definitely started to see a different side to him." When asked if she was referring to the times Nathan would storm off when drinking or in similar situations, Gael responded, “Yeah, like a little bit of anger and a little bit of, like, stubbornness, immaturity.”

In the end, Gael confessed, “I really wish we just stayed friends, because he is a really great friend.”

Nathan shared that they still keep in touch to check in on each other and, when asked if there was a future between them, he said, “I wouldn’t say it’s a closed book.”