Meet Tim Scott’s not-so-secret fiancée, Mindy Noce: Donald Trump’s would-be vice-president was a self-confessed virgin at 30 … but now the senator has met his ‘soulmate’, ‘a lovely Christian girl’

You’d think that senator Tim Scott of South Carolina would be making headlines as Donald Trump’s rumoured potential pick for US vice-president. Instead, it’s for the fact that his not-so-secret girlfriend, Mindy Noce, is now his fiancée.

Scott – who in his 30s was a self-professed virgin saving himself for marriage – has faced scrutiny for his relationship status throughout much of his career, with many going as far as to speculate about his sexuality. Not only are bachelor politicians rare, they don’t tend to do well in US political circles. So when Scott introduced his partner to the world last year, interest in his love life intensified.

Meet the woman who Scott has described as “a lovely Christian girl”, per Politico.

Tim Scott’s secret girlfriend

Back in the 90s, Scott, now 58, was described as a “proud 30-year-old virgin” in the press. He famously confessed to being a virgin, referring to Bible verses stating that sex before marriage is immoral. Asked in 2012 if he was still following his pledge of abstinence, Scott replied, per Vanity Fair, “Not as well as I did back then.”

So when he mentioned a girlfriend in May 2023 but refused to identify her, intense speculation unsurprisingly followed. Did he really have a girlfriend? If so, why was he hiding her?

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Mindy Noce’s political debut

When you’re a senator who is also a possible Republican vice-presidential nominee, there’s no better opportunity to introduce your girlfriend than at a primary debate … right? Scott brought Noce, 47, onstage to pose for a picture after a primary debate in Miami last November. Per Politico – who headlined its story “Tim Scott’s girlfriend is, in fact, real” – it was not clear to viewers who Noce was until the couple started holding hands.

It was the first time the world glimpsed Scott’s girlfriend and the seemingly carefully planned introduction created a firestorm on social media, with online sleuths immediately trying to find out who she was.

How did Tim Scott and Mindy Noce meet?

Per The Washington Post, Scott and Noce initially bonded over Bible study. He said he knew that there was “something different about her and her faith”. Two weeks before Christmas, he approached her parents to ask for their blessing for his proposal.

How Tim Scott proposed

Scott, a former presidential candidate, confirmed in January that he had proposed to his girlfriend. The pair were on a beach in the Kiawah Island in South Carolina when he got down on one knee and popped the question. On X, formerly Twitter, Scott wrote: “She said yes. Mindy, thank you for making me the luckiest man in the world.”

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In an interview with Washington Post, Scott revealed that he’s not exactly comfortable speaking about his private life: “As a guy who is mostly an introvert and on the quiet side, having a conversation about the engagement is a little, you know, uncomfortable – but it’s the most exciting thing I’ll do with my life besides making Jesus my Lord.” Scott added that he prayed and was patient – and now he’s found his soulmate.

Mindy Noce is an interior designer and mum

Noce is an interior designer and mother of three whose hobbies include tennis and running. She studied Health Science at the College of Charleston, according to her company bio. She works at Atlantic Properties. Although she is on social media, most of her posts relate to her design work and colleagues, rather than her family.