Sitting Pretty

Hilary Duff Has Done More in Her Almost Three Decades Than Most People Do in a Lifetime (Tv, Movies, Books, Albums, a Marriage, a Kid, a Divorce). Listen in as the Younger Star Opens Up About Her Love Life, Fitness Struggles, and Excitement Over What’s Next.

- Kate Williams

Te Last October, I Met Hilary Duff at L.A.. Boulders, a Rock Climbing gym in Downtown Los Angeles. It Was Her Idea.

The woman loves a challenge, especially conquering one—in this case, a wall of Technicolor plastic nubs.

“So, I have a new boyfriend,” she said as she clambered skyward. “He climbed Kilimanjaro.” That boyfriend was Jason Walsh, the celebrity trainer and superhot (read: ripped AF) founder of Rise Nation fitness. And not even a post climb green juice that tasted like pond scum could bring Hilary down. “Right now, I feel like I get to be one hundred percent authentic with the person I’m spending my time with,” she said. “To be in a place where you’re comfortable, happy, and accepting of each other…it feels so good.”

Just a few weeks prior to our (literal) hang, she’d confirmed her relationship status, as one does, on Instagram. The photo: her and Jason kissing. The caption: “date night with J,” red heart emoji. They met when he was her trainer. After keeping their involvement hushhush, the PDA post was somewhat spontaneous. “I was like, ‘Fuck it. He is my boyfriend,’” she told me. “I just needed to make sure it was right. People don’t need to know my business until I really know my business, you know?”

At the time, Hilary was still working out at Jason’s gym, although the romance had complicated their professional sessions. “He’s like, ‘You don’t listen to me anymore. I give up!’ I have a different trainer now,” she reported with a smile.

Maybe it was a sign, maybe not. But by the end of November, Hilary and Jason would call it quits on a personal level as well.