Fans were heartbroken when they realized a 'Bethyl' romance would never happen on The Walking Dead after Beth's (Emily Kinney) devastating death during the show's 5th season--but thankfully, Kinney and her co-star Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon) are giving them the real-life version of the hoped for romance!

"They had a connection early on in the show," a source told Us Weekly. "But the romance developed recently. They're still pretty guarded about it."

According to the magazine, despite Kinney's character, Beth, being shockingly killed off in 2014, the 29-year-old and Reedus, 46, stayed in touch through texts, appearances at fan conventions, and at her music gigs--and things have developed from there.

"He was one of the first to support her at her concerts when she was still on the show," the source said.

In fact, Reedus was recently spotted cheering on the singer-songwriter at her May 21 show in Decatur, Ga, which got fans of the show excited.

"For some time everyone wanted two of the most beloved Walking Dead characters to be together, but of course, Beth was killed off," an observer at the concert said.

In addition Kinney has often gushed about her co-star, revealing he was one of the first to text her when she discovered she'd been written off the zombie apocalypse drama, and though her days on Dead are long over, she still has a keepsake--compliments of Reedus--which she takes with her while she's on tour.

"I'm not as much of a collector as everyone else," she said. "(But) I have this turtle shell Norman gave me that I take everywhere."

Tags
The Walking Dead, AMC, Television