Emily Maynard Is Officially the New 'Bachelorette'....If Anyone Still Cares

[Brian Damage]

It's official: Emily Maynard will indeed see what it's like on the other side as the next star of The Bachelorette, ABC confirmed early Tuesday.

As show sources told PEOPLE last week, Maynard, the charismatic, charming winner of Brad Womack's season of The Bachelor, will be the one handing out the roses this time around.

Her second shot at TV love comes after a public fallout this summer, when she broke her silence about her broken engagement from Womack. That wasn't her first heartbreak: She was previously engaged to NASCAR driver Ricky Hendrick, who died in a plane crash in October 2004 just days before she found out she was pregnant.

When the 25 bachelors vie for her heart on her season, which will premiere in the spring, they'll also have to accept the love already in the Morgantown, W.Va., native's life: her 6-year-daughter, named Ricki after her father, who she lives with in Charlotte, N.C.

"I need stability. A lot of times in Charlotte, I would go out with guys, and most guys knew my story," she previously told PEOPLE. "It's just a lot to handle. And with a young child, you know, it's a lot to ask of guys."

So who's Mr. Right? According to the press release, she's looking for someone who makes her laugh, doesn't take himself too seriously and can be her best friend.

http://www.people.com/people/article...p+Headlines%29