Though she may not have found her soulmate in the traditional Bachelor sense, Bella came out of the experience still absolutely adoring Jed, the other Bachelorettes and — of course — her own damn self.
“My goal going on the show was to just be myself and I think, especially when it comes to dating, we tend to put on this facade about putting our best foot forward or trying to pretend we’re not,” Bella told 10 Play.
“I think especially for reality TV, people try to play into a character and I just thought… I don’t really care,” she continued. “I don’t care what people think of me, I’m going to have fun with it, you know. If I fell in love that was always going to be a bonus.
“But I felt like it was responsible to just be myself, because what if I wasn't and someone fell in love with the wrong version of me? It would be inauthentic to do so, so I just rocked out with my c*ck out and it was amazing,” Bella laughed.
“The moment I stopped caring about what people thought, I really became myself.”
On Sunday night, Bella confronted Jed about how their connection was going, focusing especially on the fact that she was the last remaining Bachelorette in his group that he hadn’t kissed yet.
“That was probably one of the hardest days for me in the house… I cried the whole way home, I cried all through the ceremony, I cried all night,” Bella admitted. “In my heart I kind of resigned that for me it was over.”
Though things didn’t work out with Jed romantically, Bella said she still absolutely adores Jed. “He always made me laugh, I always made him laugh, we had a few really beautiful moments where he just said how much he appreciated my presence.
“When I left we cried and promised that we’re always going to be best friends and play in a country music band together… there’s a lot of love for him in my heart as a friend,” she added.
But it was only in watching the show back and seeing some of the other connections that Jed had formed with some of her close friends in the house that Bella started to get some clarity on things.
“Being able to see how genuinely connected Jed was with like Alesia for example, it was the missing piece of the puzzle for me,” she explained. “Going into the house, you’re only focused on your relationships, or in my case my rejections and my failures,” she laughed.
“But looking at it from an audience’s perspective, it was actually just really beautiful to see him truly connect with someone and I don’t mind that it wasn’t me because I don’t want the wrong person to fall for me.”
It’s been a long process for Bella, who said she filled out her application for the show almost a year ago exactly. “While I loved it, and I’m so grateful for it, I am looking forward to the beginnings of entering the next chapter in my life.”
Looking back at her time in the house, Bella admits she wish she had stood up to certain instigators of drama more.
“In the first few weeks in the house I felt really uncomfortable, everyone did. I didn’t want to rock the boat because I didn’t want the repercussions of that but now, watching it back I’m like… I should have said and done more,” she said, adding, “I wish I had been stronger at the time.”
Her other regret is quintessentially Bella: taking it easy on the oysters. During a group date where a handful of women were invited to the Bach pad for the first time, Bella revealed her three loves as being “champagne, d*ck and oysters”. But she may have gone too hard on one of those three things especially.
“Oh my god I ate so many that I got a sore tummy and I thought I was going to sh*t my pants… that was the end of the date for me that day,” she said adding she worried she had given herself food poisoning by over-indulging.
“You know I’ve done it before as well, I gave myself food poisoning from oysters… I’ve done it twice, actually. I eat so many that the statistics for me are higher than anyone else,” she said laughing.
The Bachelors continues Sunday - Wednesday at 7.30 on Network 10 and 10 Play on demand
