Tyler Cameron Explains Why Dating Tate Madden Is ‘Much Different' Than His Past 'Crash and Burn' Romances

Tyler Cameron has entered a new chapter of his life.

The Bachelorette alum, 31, spoke with PEOPLE exclusively about his relationship with girlfriend Tate Madden, who he revealed he's been dating for about a year and a half despite just making their romance Instagram official in October.

During the conversation, Cameron — who was joined by Madden in the interview — opened up about their new phase of life as they settle into their newly renovated home while partnering with Pottery Barn for all their holiday decorating needs.

"We've been together for about a year and a half now," Cameron says of dating Madden, who he was introduced to by a mutual friend. The pair met in the reality star's native Florida, though she's originally from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Tyler Cameron and Tate Madaden.Pottery Barn
Cameron's dating life took center stage when he was cast on The Bachelorette season 15 in 2019 — and since then, he's been involved in very high-profile relationships. However, when it came to his relationship with Madden, he chose to keep things more private initially.

"I think we just wanted to really build a strong foundation for what our relationship is and what it's going to be before we make it public," he tells PEOPLE of entering a romance with Madden. "I've had very public relationships and they've seemed to crash and burn pretty quickly."

The Special Forces star says he "thought it was important" to "build a foundation" with Madden, who formerly worked as a personal shopper at Bloomingdale's, before going public with their relationship.

Cameron was briefly linked to influencer Paige Lorenze in 2022, though he confirmed on an episode of E!'s Daily Pop that it "wasn't the right time" for either of them.

In 2019, Cameron dated Gigi Hadid in 2019, later revealing that he had about $200 in his bank account at the time.

With their respective work schedules, too, Cameron and Madden thought it "best to just stay under the radar until it was time to come out," the reality TV star explains. Madden, meanwhile, says she's "new to this world" of life in the public eye.

In fact, she thinks holding off publicly likely stemmed from Cameron's attempt at "shielding" her. "There's always going to be people's opinions on me and stuff — and so since I'm not used to being in the public eye, I think he was kind of wanting to ease it in," she says. "Just to protect me a little bit."

And it's been working because Cameron says she feels "very comfortable" dating in public now. "I think it's easier when I'm with Tyler just because I'm so comfortable around him. So it's easy for me to be myself and be goofy and be silly," she says.

Tyler Cameron and Tate Madden.Pottery Barn
Meanwhile, Cameron reciprocates those feelings about Madden — so much so, that he admits this relationship is quite different from his past. "Tate makes it the easiest for me... I've been in some relationships that have been very difficult and tough, and I think this has been the best," he says.

Calling it the "breeziest, healthiest" relationship he's been in, Cameron says he "can't even believe a year has gone by" since they became an official couple. "So it's a much different relationship that I've ever been in, and so I think it's the right relationship."

That's what made the decision to move in together so natural. "It kind of happened," Cameron tells PEOPLE of why now was the right time to share a home. "She's been the best partner in crime with me throughout this whole process... it's been such a great way for us to learn how to communicate."

He jokes, "If you can make it through a home reno, you can make it through anything!"

Tyler Cameron and Tate Madden.Pottery Barn
The home reno came just in time for the holidays, too! With the help of Pottery Barn's design crew, the pair transformed nearly every room in their new house with everything from curated festive accents to thoughtful furniture placement.

"Pottery Barn was kind of the perfect fit for all our design and decor ideas," says Cameron. "We were stoked and thrilled and their design team. Everyone just made this process so much fun, so easy and we just love literally every single piece we got."

Madden adds, "I've always been interested in interior design, but I've never had a full blank canvas... Pottery Barn was number one on my list." She explains, "They have such timeless pieces that it was exactly what I think our house needed... it was definitely a dream come true."