Barbara Alyn Woods had her eyes on Mark Anderson way before their actual relationship started.
The actress had her eye on Anderson long before they officially became a couple—she just had to get his attention first.
The One Tree Hill alum revealed on the Drama Queens podcast that she first noticed Mark while watching The Bachelor with her daughters.
Mark, 58, is the father of Kelsey Anderson, who was a contestant on the show and ultimately got engaged to Joey Graziadei. But it wasn’t Kelsey who caught Woods’ attention—it was her dad, who she couldn’t help but admire from the sidelines.
“At the end of The Bachelor, they go to hometowns. There’s three remaining girls and they take The Bachelor home to meet their family,” Woods explained.
“Mark was there being all cute and dimpley and sweet. He’s just in the background. He’s the dad.”
Smitten by his presence, Woods decided to take a modern approach and slid into his Instagram DMs. However, much to her surprise, her message went unanswered.
Still, that didn’t stop her from playfully claiming him.
“He was at the final episode of [Kelsey’s] show,” she recalled. “He was in the audience and I’m watching with [my daughter] Aly and I’m like, ‘Oh, there’s my boyfriend. The one I DMed.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, I wonder if he ever responded.’ He didn’t respond to me.”
Her persistence didn’t end there. When Mark was announced as a contestant on The Golden Bachelorette, Woods took another shot at reaching out.
“I’m like, ‘They’re taking my boyfriend away from me,’” she joked. “I don’t know what I said. It was so corny, whatever I said. Like, ‘You have a cute smile, you’re going to go a long way in life.’ Or something stupid.”
Unfortunately, her message was met with silence again—but for a good reason. Mark was busy filming the show.
“Then, he got kicked off. I’m watching every week to see if my boyfriend’s going to get kicked off the show,” she admitted. “My girls are all watching, feeling like we know him, but we don’t.”
Luckily, patience paid off. Once Mark was off the show, he finally saw Woods’ messages, and from that point on, things took off.
“It’s been nonstop ever since,” she shared. “He’s such a good guy. Just have to get used to being with good people. Like he’s a good guy.”
Their romance first sparked public speculation in October 2024, when they dressed in matching Halloween costumes. By December, Graziadei confirmed his future father-in-law’s relationship status.
“He’s just so soft spoken,” Woods added, reflecting on their connection. “But when he speaks, it just means something.” And now, after a little persistence and a lot of patience, she finally has her “boyfriend” in real life.
