Kate Gosselin wears sweatpants as she walks dog near secluded North Carolina lake house after abruptly fleeing Hollywood

FORMER TLC star Kate Gosselin has been spotted looking glum as she continues to live a reclusive life in North Carolina.

The former Kate Plus 8 star emerged from her lakefront home in Troutman, North Carolina - about 35 miles from uptown Charlotte.

In exclusive photos obtained by The U.S. Sun, Kate, 48, was bundled up while walking her large white dog alongside an unidentified man.

The TLC alum was dressed casually in a black Patagonia jacket, sweatpants with the waistband folded over, and Asics sneakers.

She accessorized appropriately for the 19-degree weather wearing a gray beanie, a black scarf that covered her mouth, and gloves.

She had a neon green fanny pack wrapped around her waist.

Her signature blond locks could be seen peeking out from under her hat.

Kate and the mystery man immediately re-entered her home, which had all the blinds tightly closed - after the walk.

The outing offers a rare glimpse into Kate's present-day life in North Carolina, which is vastly different than what viewers saw on the TLC reality show, Jon & Kate Plus Eight.

The show featured Kate and her ex-husband Jon Gosselin, raising their eight kids: twins Mady and Cara, 22; and sextuplets Aaden, Collin, Joel, Hannah, Alexis, and Leah, all 19.

KATE PLUS EIGHT

After 10 years of marriage, Jon and Kate split in 2009, but the reality show continued under a new name, Kate Plus Eight.

Allegations that Jon cheated on the mother of eight surfaced after the news came out.

Jon denied the claims, but Kate told People at the time, “I don’t think I know if I believe him. I don’t think that I know the whole truth, and to be very honest, I don’t know that I ever will.

"My gut instinct says he’s mad that he got caught. There wasn’t a whole lot of thought that went into all that behavior.”

Rumors that Kate cheated with her married bodyguard, Steve Neild, also began circulating.

"Already the allegations they’re making about me are disgusting, unthinkable, unfathomable, and I am horrified," Kate told People at the time, denying her own affair rumors.

In 2016, Kate told the same outlet that the unraveling of her marriage was surprising - and Jon's fault.

“I really would have thought he’d have been here for the long haul," Kate said.

"The weirdest thing is that overnight he became a different person."

A FRESH START

After the split, Kate received primary custody of the eight kids.

Jon later had sextuplets Hannah and Collin in his custody.

In 2018, she moved from her home state of Pennsylvania to North Carolina.

The TLC alum purchased a $750,000 lakefront home in a rural part of Lake Norman in North Carolina.

Several other celebrities own palatial homes on Lake Norman, including Michael Jordan, Nascar owners, Rick Hendrick and Joe Gibbs; and Nascar drivers Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Michael Waltrip.

One area of the lake has been dubbed Millionaire's Row, as a handful of Nascar drivers and celebrities have settled down there.

Kate's 3,562-square-foot home is located just north of Millionaire's Row and is very modest in comparison to some of the neighboring properties.

The one-story home features an inground pool and a boat slip.

KATE PLUS ZERO

Today, Kate is living in the Lake Norman home alone, as all of the Gosselin kids have grown up and moved out, a source previously told The U.S. Sun exclusively.

"None of the kids live at home. She lives on her own. All the kids went to college," the source confirmed.

The two oldest Gosselin kids, twins Mady and Cara, 23, are both living and working in New York City.

After graduating from Syracuse University in 2023, Mady got a job working for Bubble Skincare.

In December, she shared a TikTok video of her modest studio apartment in the city.

Her twin, Cara, received a degree from Fordham University in New York and is now working as a financial analyst for Bank of America in Manhattan, per her LinkedIn profile.

FINANCIAL STRUGGLES

While the kids are all off living their own lives, Kate's "financial situation is dire," a source has claimed.

“Kate hasn’t had a job other than reality TV for 17 years. It is very clear that Kate has no interest in living a normal life and having a real job."

A source echoed these claims to In Touch Weekly, saying the mother of eight had to borrow $100,000 from her kids' trust fund "to survive."

"Kate lives paycheck to paycheck," the source said. "She's fallen quite a ways from being one of the country's top reality stars."

"There hasn’t been a glam squad for a very long time, so Kate looks totally different. She stays home a lot, watches a lot of TV," added the insider, who also noted that, "Kate is currently living a very quiet and boring life in North Carolina.

"She doesn’t date and has very few friends – actually, her best friends are pretty much her kids."

LEGAL BATTLE

Despite the kids now being adults and living off on their own, Kate is currently engaged in a legal battle with Jon over $132,875 in back child support.

She filed the initial complaint in March 2018, and on November 14, 2023, a judge ruled to strike the judgment.

But Kate hasn't given up fighting for the money.

Her attorney filed a Notice of Appeal to the Superior Court on December 11, 2023.

After the appeal was filed, a rep for Jon told The U.S. Sun, “Jon finally thought he was free of Kate’s endless legal attacks. Unfortunately, Kate can’t seem to let this go despite the judge’s decisions.

“She is free now that all her children are in college. This seems like just another very desperate move to make money. I think it’s time for Kate to get a job.”

Kate's lawyer previously referred The U.S. Sun to the court docket when asked about the lawsuit and her alleged current financial situation.

BORROWED MONEY

Kate has admitted in court that she had to withdraw two lots of $50,000 from her kids' trust account.

"I will have to keep borrowing from it to survive," she said, per court records.

In the court filing, Kate said the assets were being used to meet her and the children's expenses.

Kate's lawyer declined to comment to The U.S. Sun when asked about the claims at the time.

But Kate's attorney responded to the claims in a statement to Us Weekly, saying, “Kate’s integrity is impeccable. I can’t say the same for Jon Gosselin.

"He clearly owes her $132,875 in child support, not counting interest, from the day it was entered.”

PRIVACY OVER MONEY

While the exes continue to duke it out in court over money, their two oldest children have said that privacy is more important than financial gain.

In an April 2023 video posted to TikTok, Mady said, "I don't think money equates to privacy," after she read a comment from a fan suggesting that she should write a book for money.

"I 100% agree with that statement," her twin sister, Cara, chimed in.

"It's not just our privacy, it's all of our siblings' privacy," Mady went on to say.

Even though the eight Gosselin kids have separate lives today, they're stories are intermingled, so it would be difficult for one of them to share their individual story, the girls' agreed.

"It wouldn't be like fair to siblings who want privacy if we wanted to do something like that," said Mady.

FAMILY SECRETS

That doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of secrets that the family is holding onto.

"You would be astonished to know the tea," Mady teased during the TikTok. "And you may or may not ever know it."

"Mind-blowing," Cara added coyly.