Over the last few weeks, Tatum said she had gotten to know Bachelor Jimmy Nicholson as best she could, but on Wednesday night she took him aside and explained that she no longer wanted to be in the mansion. After a brief chat, Tatum walked across the garden and, to the dismay of her fellow bachelorettes, blew one last kiss goodbye before heading home.
“Overall, I had a really good time,” Tatum told 10 play, “I remained in the experience with an open mind and got to know Jimmy the best that I could and when I figured out that mutually between us there was no chemistry… I didn’t want to waste much more of my time. I wanted to go on with everything.”
Having been single for the last four years and sick of the dating games and tiresome apps, Tatum had applied to The Bachelor in the hopes that she could meet someone that was looking for the same things she was.
“Leading up to the show, honestly, I really believed that this could be it. I thought that this was the universe working in my favour and I was going to meet the person I could spend my life with.”
Meeting Jimmy for the first time she admits that she didn’t feel that “instant spark”, but wanted to remain open-minded and allow for that connection to grow over time.
Following the beach group date where Tatum received a rose, she revealed that she also got some extra one-on-one time with Jimmy where they “made cocktails, got deep and shared a kiss”.
“We actually did have some good quality time together. I had ample time to know how I felt,” she added.
Despite sharing a kiss, Tatum said the next cocktail party she began to realise that the feelings just weren’t developing.
“I wasn’t there for anything else other than to find love, so it’s hard staying in an environment when you’re all trying to win somebody’s heart. As soon as that wasn’t there for me I had no purpose there anymore.”
Tatum made the decision to not reveal to anyone her plans to leave that night but admitted that she had been considering it for about a week leading up to what would be her final cocktail party.
“I was there for Jimmy, I didn’t feel like I needed to share this with anybody else. I didn’t need anybody’s opinion or anybody’s advice,” she explained. “It was all coming from the heart.”
Sitting down with Jimmy, Tatum said she wanted to be honest and help him understand what she was feeling.
“I thought he took it really well,” she said. “He just listened to what I had to say, I was really direct and gave valid points as to why, and he understood and respected my decision.”
With her parting kiss still lingering in the air, Tatum said she felt an instant sense of relief leaving the mansion.
“I could not wait to go home! I was like, I’m outta here, see ya later,” she said, laughing.
Earlier in the episode, the bachelorettes sat down with Jimmy’s cousin and sister for a dinner that erupted into a battle between two sides of the table. After an anonymous question was asked about how bachelorettes act on and off camera, Tatum stepped up to confront another bachelorette, Holly, about how she felt.
“I won’t speak on behalf of the other girls but, for me personally, I felt like I was getting a different person on camera and off camera,” Tatum explained. “When we did have that dinner and we had an anonymous question box it was kind of like the perfect time to bring up some issues that were going on behind closed doors.”
With Jimmy’s family watching on, the exchange escalated with bachelorettes from either side of the table coming to the defence of Tatum or Holly.
“Obviously Holly was very defensive, as you would be, but the look on her face - I knew she knew it was coming because there had been multiple times where we had addressed this with her in different lights.”
Tatum also said that, following the dinner, she was approached by Holly who apologised to her.
“Off-camera”, she added.
When asked if the tension of the dinner party contributed to her decision to leave, Tatum said it barely factored in.
“I was there for me, and for love and whatever was thrown in the mix in and amongst that I anticipated. But nothing deterred me from how I was truly feeling.”
Though the universe may not have brought her to the Bachelor mansion to meet the person she would spend the rest of her life with, Tatum said she still felt like everything happened for a reason.
“I have never stopped for a moment and just really focused on my love life and I feel like [The Bachelor] really made me stop, think and analyse the type of person I want to be with. It’s changed my whole outlook on dating and has really helped me put myself out there.
“I feel like it has made me become more vulnerable and be upfront with people about what I want. It helped me discover who I am and the type of person that I would want to end up with.”
The Bachelor airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7.30 on 10 and 10 play
