JoJo Siwa 'Pledged' Not to Share Dating Life Publicly After Bad Breakup. That All Changed with 'Special' New Girlfriend

• JoJo Siwa is currently dating former So You Think You Can Dance contestant Dakayla Wilson
• She initially stayed private about the news — and admits she was able to keep two previous flings under wraps
• "I love the girl. She loves me and we're having a good time," Siwa said

JoJo Siwa is opening up about a particularly tricky aspect of being a public figure.

The 21-year-old singer and dancer appeared on a panel during Rhode Island Comic Con on Friday, Nov. 1., moderated by PEOPLE's Dory Jackson. While there, Siwa spoke about various aspects of her personal life and career, including dating in the public eye.

Siwa, who is dating former So You Think You Can Dance contestant Dakayla Wilson, was asked about how she chooses what she shares publicly about her personal life.

"You know, it's interesting. My mom always used to tell me, 'The whole world doesn't need to know everything. JoJo. You can keep some things a secret.' And I was like, 'Yeah, yeah, totally,'" the Dance Moms star said. "Secrets are hard to keep. It's so hard to keep. When you're so excited about something ... I was kind of born to share my life with the world, and I'm OK with that and I enjoy that."

The "Guilty Pleasure" singer noted that "when it comes to relationships and stuff, it really — for me — depends on the other person."

"I mean, I started out in a great relationship. When I first came out, I was in a very, very good relationship," she explained. "We were young. I mean, I was 17 and she was 16. Odds are — sorry if anybody's 17 or 16 — but odds are your relationship is not going to work at that age. And if you're older than that, or if you have a 17 and 16-year-old and you see them and they think they're getting married, you can laugh at that because we all know it's not how it works. Sometimes, some high school sweethearts do work out. There is a very small percentage, but it was just very cute, typical."

"But then after that, I had a public relationship with somebody else that wasn't the best — it kind of seemed like it was the best, but it really wasn't the best. And then, after it ended, it was really not the best. And it just scared me from sharing relationships publicly," she then admitted. "It wasn't anything that really the world did. It was more what went on between the two of us. And I was like, you know what? Lemme just not. So then, I pledged to myself that I wasn't going to share a relationship anymore."

"And I did good. I was in one serious relationship, but like two flings, and no one knew about any of them. So I will take it. Well-achieved," she added.

However, everything changed for Siwa upon meeting Wilson, 19.

"Just around three months ago, I got into a relationship with an incredible girl and it's been interesting," she said. "I was OK to go public with her. She feels special and we're in a very comfortable place. I've never really been in this place that I'm at with her in a relationship before."

Siwa added, "I'm also so young. I'm 21. She's also young. She's only 19. We're both still figuring life out and I think I accepted that. I've accepted we're both figuring life out. We're not perfect, but we have fun. I love the girl. She loves me and we're having a good time."

Siwa became a household name upon appearing on Lifetime's Dance Moms as a child. She had joined in 2015 for season 5.

Following her time on the reality show, Siwa found success upon signing on with Nickelodeon. She acted in many of the network's shows and television films, including The Thundermans and School of Work.

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She also launched a successful music career, which has since expanded to include more adult-themed music with "Karma" and "Guilty Pleasure."

Siwa previously made headlines in January 2021 upon coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. She publicized her relationship with Wilson in August, sharing a video on her Instagram Stories of the pair at a dance class.

As for whether her public status makes her feel as if she needs to be a role model, Siwa said during the Rhode Island Comic Con panel that she thinks "that's something that other people put on me."

"I don't necessarily ever think to myself, 'I'm a role model. I need to do this.' I think other people might look at me though and go, 'Oh, you're a role model,'" she said. "I don't want to live my life as I'm a role model. I need to be a role model. Or, you're watching me because I'm a role model, so I need to act like a role model. I want to live my life and be a good person."