A source close to Stu confirmed to the publication that the father-of-four and the flight attendant are now blissfully happy, enjoying moonlit walks and romantic meals together.
"Stu had never met Ashley before, but he saw her on MAFS and was very interested to see if there was a spark there. He was then approached by a mutual friend who told him Ashley was keen to meet. He was a little taken aback with Ashley’s bold approach as he is used to making the first move," the source confirmed.
Stu agreed to a date and, as the exclusive photos show, they are now enjoying steamy nights out together.
Holding hands, Stu took her to one of his premier venues, the Woolwich Pier Hotel, in one of Sydney’s most affluent suburbs, Woolwich.
As the owner, Stuart was able to swing the best table in the house on the balcony, featuring uninterrupted views of Sydney Harbour.
The 16-year age difference between Stu, 45, and Ashley, 29, didn’t seem to bother the pair as they enjoyed the meal.
A close friend confirms, "They even shared a kiss across the table during the night."
At the end of the meal they were seen jumping into Stu’s luxury chauffeur driven car and were dropped off at a hotel in the city.
Both Ash and Stu were unsuccessful on their respective dating shows, and pals think this could be the beginning of a whole new chapter of love for them both.
Divorced Stu, who split with Sophie Monk just three months after The Bachelorette ended, has admitted he hopes to find love again soon.
"Sadly for me I may have had the love of my life in my ex-wife and wasted it, but I’ll keep searching," he told The Daily Telegraph, talking of the demise of his love affair with Sophie.
As for Ashley, who failed to find love with TV husband Troy, she’s hoping to find her soulmate soon.
"I don’t have a bad thing to say about Troy, I wish we could have made it work, but you just can’t force things," she posted on social media after the break-up.
She added: "As for me, unfortunately I didn’t meet the man of my dreams, but at least I put myself out there and hopefully I will meet my soulmate soon!"
Ashley was later caught on a date with fellow MAFS contestant Justin Fischer, but claimed there was no romance.
"No, it wasn’t a date," she told Nova FM. "Justin and I are really close, we talk every week.
"Justin was just feeling down in the dumps, so we went out to dinner."
That said, Ashley fits Stu’s ‘type’ perfectly as he’s been photographed dating numerous blondes since his split from ex-wife Rachel. And the former MAFS wife bears more than a striking resemblance to Sophie, who is still believed to be single after her heart was broken by Stu.
However, Ashley will have her work cut out as a source has told New Idea Stu "has dated every woman in Sydney".
The mystery woman claimed she dated Stu off and on for a couple of months two years ago, before he broke her heart – and now wants to alert other woman before the same thing happens to them.
"I want to warn women off him because he’s a real heartbreaker," the source said.
