Former Bachelor star Colton Underwood has come out as gay in a deeply personal interview with Good Morning America host Robin Roberts, stunning Bachelor Nation.
“I’m gay. I’ve ran from myself for a long time,” he explained. “I’ve hated myself for a long time. I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it, and the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know.
“This year’s been a lot for a lot of people and it’s probably made a lot of people look at themselves in the year and figure out who they are,” he added.
“I’m the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been in my life. That means the world to me,” he said.
Colton sat down in a pre-taped interview with the Good Morning America host, where he addressed his sexuality and answered questions as to why he was not more forthcoming about his truth before starring in the 23rd season of the ABC dating series.
Colton apologized to his ex-love Cassie Randolph
Robin asked the former Bachelor lead about his relationship with Cassie Randolph, who he famously jumped a fence for in order to process his feelings during filming.
Colton said that he would like to share his sorrow about how things ended between them.
“I messed up. I made a lot of bad choices,” he shared.
He said that he deeply loved Cassie and that his love for her made things even more confusing for him as he processed his feelings.
Colton admitted that he wished his relationship with Cassie wouldn’t have happened the way that it did and that he had been able to deal with his internal struggle earlier.
“I love Cassie, I love everything about her. I had an internal fight going on and I am sorry from the bottom of my heart for any pain and emotional distress I caused her,” he explained.
He spoke directly to viewers of the series
Colton added that he has no regrets about being a part of the ABC dating series, and shared with fans that he did not think he could have handled himself better on the show.
However, he said he wished he had not dragged people into his issues as he tried to figure out who he was.
Fans first met the former professional football player on Season 14 of The Bachelorette as he competed for Becca Kufrin’s heart in 2018.
The Bachelor is currently on hiatus.