This week marks 13 years since Shayne Lamas told Matt Grant she was “falling in love” with him during the pivotal Fantasy Suites episode of “The Bachelor” Season 12.

As viewers will recall, Shayne and Matt — the first and only British Bachelor to ever lead the franchise — shared a strong connection. The duo revved up their romance in beautiful Barbados with a fun-filled day that included jet-skiing and passionately kissing in the sparkling blue waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Things took a more serious turn, however, during the night portion of their date. A then-22-year-old Shayne explained in a confessional that she felt it necessary to let Matt know that her feelings for the global financier were stronger than he may have even realized.

“I’m falling in love with Matt — and if I don’t say certain things, I’ll regret it,” she told the camera. “And I think when I do say it, I’ll be pleased. So, I think tonight will be one of the most important nights of Matt and I’s life.”

When Shayne and Matt eventually sat down to dinner, the handsome U.K. native told the actress — who is the daughter of famed soap opera star Lorenzo Lamas — that while he appreciated her flirty “sex kitten, blonde” act, he was even more enamored by her “independent, smart-thinking” side.

“I think part of the connection we have comes from the fact that we come from two different worlds — which I thought would be the real downfall,” Matt told Shayne, referring to her paradoxical personality and Hollywood upbringing. “But it turned out to be such a positive.”

This prompted Shayne to finally express what was on her mind. “OK, so before I tell you something that is really hard for me to even mention, I need to know from you that you look at me like you could see us together,” she told Matt, to which he earnestly replied, “Shayne, when I look in your eyes, I look into the eyes of someone who I could easily be with.”

Shayne continued, “The moment that I actually got to know you and who you were, I was like, ‘This is unbelievable. Is this real?’ And, honestly, I’m falling in love with you.”

Matt was impressed with Shayne’s vulnerability. “You never cease to amaze me. I’m falling for you as well,” he said. “The fact that you could say that to me in this situation speaks volumes. I love being with you.”

Later, Shayne readily accepted a Fantasy Suite invitation from Matt. “I’m falling in love with Matt. What better place than in a gorgeous little villa in Barbados?” she said in an ensuing ITM interview. “It’s really a wonderland for us. I, for once in my life, put myself out there first to a man and I couldn’t be happier.”

Matt was equally thrilled, although it weighed heavily on him that two other women — Chelsea Wanstrath and Amanda Rantuccio — were still in the competition for his heart.

“When she said, ‘I’m falling in love with you,’ I was seriously touched,” Matt said in a confessional. “The only thing that marred it from being the ultimate perfect moment in my life was the fact that there’s two other women. And their dates have yet to come up.”

Matt ended up handing his final rose to Shayne but the twosome called it quits on their engagement shortly after the show finished airing in 2008. “We tried hard to make it work, but we realized that we were both heading in different directions,” the former couple said in a statement at the time. “We truly care about each other and will remain close friends.”

These days, Matt is married to Rebecca Moring, whom he wed in 2018. Meanwhile, Shayne tied the knot with blogger Nik Richie in 2010. Today, they share daughter Press Dahl, 9, and son Lyon, 5.

Take a trip down memory lane by revisiting Matt’s “Bachelor” promo shots below.