Making history as the first Bachelor to get his first impression rose declined, Clayton Echard is holding no regrets.
Facing harsh criticism over attempting to give his first rose to a recently engaged contestant, the former football player is opening up on why he didn’t see the canceled wedding as a ‘red flag.’
“I think she followed her heart and did what she thought was best,” explained the 28-year-old to Us Weekly. “I think in that moment, she felt that was the right way to go about it. To say, ‘Hey, listen, I’m not fully invested or mentally, I’m not here 100 percent, so I have to walk away.’ I respected her decision.”
Clayton Echard reveals why he didn’t see Salley Carson’s previous engagement as a ‘red flag’
Before night one, Virginia native Salley Carson unprecedently visited Clayton’s hotel room hours before limo entrances were set to begin.
Revealing that she was set to be married this same weekend, she told the Season 26 lead that her upcoming nuptials were called off due to “lack of trust.”
Clearly not ready to pursue Clayton, the 26-year-old was in tears as she declined his attempt for her to stay by offering her a rose.
“Why did I offer her a rose after, like, she spills the beans and says, ‘I was supposed to get married today, I was previously engaged,’ I didn’t see that as a red flag,” he explained of his decision.
Explaining that viewers only saw a few minutes of an hour conversation, he added, “You gotta remember — or keep this in mind — she came to me instead of just going home. She showed up to my hotel room and it’s like, ‘Why would she do that?’”
Clayton also described that since he felt she was genuine, he hoped giving her a rose would allow her to go into “night one [with] a relaxed mindset” and then “maybe after a few days, she’ll be able to kind of move beyond that state of mind that she was in.”
Will Salley Carson be making a comeback on The Bachelor?
Will Salley Carson rethink her decision and return to The Bachelor? Clayton doesn’t hold any spoilers.
“That’s the big question I’ve heard multiple times today,” he explained later in the interview. “And as far as whether or not she comes back, what I’m gonna say is everyone’s have to wait to tune in.”
Do you want to Salley Carson return on The Bachelor? Let us know in the comments.
The Bachelor airs Monday at 8/7c on ABC.