Jon & Kate Plus 8′s Jon Gosselin is in the Big Apple after returning from a trip to France with his rumored girlfriend, 22-year-old Hailey Glassman. The newly-single father of eight is opening up about his relationship with the college coed, who has been portrayed as a brain-dead party animal with a penchant for bongs and boys by several former classmates at Indiana University.

In fact, the barely-legal babe was pinched on drug possession charges back in 2005. None of that matters to Jon, who at 32, says he’s falling in love with the young woman he describes as “a longtime family friend.”

“Hailey and I have been family friends for several years and only very recently began dating,” Jon explains in the new issue of PEOPLE Magazine. “What began as friendship has grown into something more.”

Jon hopes fans of his family’s hit TLC reality series will be understanding of his decision to go public with his relationship with Hailey less than a month after he and wife of ten years, Kate Gosselin, announced their divorce on live television.

“I genuinely enjoy spending time with her. It’s nice to be with someone who I can confide in and trust and who accepts me for who I am,” he goes on.

“I know that my decision to appear publicly with Hailey this weekend will be scrutinized, but I hope that people can see I’m a regular guy who is going through a very difficult time in [my] life and wants to move forward.”