After this year’s hometown dates it seemed like everyone was screaming at their TV when Jimmy Nicholson decided to send home lawyer Carlie Hodges.
“There were some riots weren’t there?” Carlie jokes to WHO the morning after her elimination episode aired and the emotional reactions came flooding in on social media.
In this exclusive chat, the 34-year-old explains she had a gut-instinct that she would be sent home, how she really felt about being called “calm, stable and predictable” by Jimmy and why she’s not against the idea of handing out roses as the Bachelorette.
It seems like everyone was furious with Jimmy’s decision to let you go! We bet you’ve received so many messages from fans.
It’s been pretty crazy, it’s so overwhelming. Going into something like this you obviously expect to have some sort of public presence for some period of time but you don’t know what that’s going to be so you have to brace yourself for it a bit but I’ve been so overwhelmed by how nice everyone is. I’m kind of like ‘Why do people like me so much?’ It’s so heart-warming and I feel so special but also a bit awkward by it because it’s all so nice. I’m just chuffed that people have enjoyed getting to know me on screen and really going in to bat for me.
Going back to that final rose ceremony, what was going through your head when you realised it was the end?
It was strangely calm in my head at that moment – you saw on screen that I wasn’t hugely upset and I wasn’t crying when it first happened. In the lead up to that rose ceremony after hometowns I had a couple of days where I felt a bit weird in myself and I was quite emotional which was not how I was throughout the rest of the experience. I couldn’t put my finger on why I was feeling so weird and emotional so when I didn’t receive that rose a part of me thought ‘Was that my intuition telling me that something wasn’t right and wasn’t right for me as well?’ It wasn’t an a-ha moment but I just thought that my intuition has been telling me something this week so I was kind of accepting of the fact that I was going home and I was ok with it. You can only ever think about it hindsight, that’s the problem!
It was super awkward when Jimmy described you as calm, stable and predictable in front of your family. How did you react to those words?
Look it’s probably not the most romantic way that someone’s described me, but I understood what he was trying to say. Yeah, it was a bit weird and my brother wanted to clarify that with him but I understood where he was coming from.
I think it was evident on the camping trip that Jimmy almost sought refuge in me when things were going a bit crazy and knew that I was this constant for him and he could be calm and relaxed with me and knew that I wasn’t involved in any of the drama. He knew that we were solid and that our relationship was true so I think he was trying to explain to my family that despite all of the craziness in the mansion he could always count on me to steady him. Being predictable, I think he was just trying to say he knew that I wouldn’t fly off the handle or something. I think those qualities are really important qualities – it’s just interesting when they’re the first things that come out of his mouth.
We’ve seen a very different side to Brooke since she returned to the mansion. Did you notice that change when she came back?
There was a big change. Before she left to go back to Melbourne she was really falling hard for Jimmy and she knew that he was someone she could see herself with. I think when she went home I think it almost reset her – I think it grounded her by seeing her family and it also gave her some time to think if she really did want this with Jimmy or if she was just getting caught up with the experience in the mansion. I think her coming back with that gusto was her way of saying ‘I’ve thought about it and absolutely I want to be here for him. I’m not falling for this guy just because he’s the Bachelor, I’m falling for this guy because he’s Jimmy and I want to learn more’.
You’ve said that if you didn’t win you’d want Holly to win, why is that?
I think they’re really similar people. Holly and I were inseparable in the mansion and she’s so funny and so dorky and so thoughtful. I think they’d feed really well off each other if they end up together after this. I can just see their banter working, I just think there’s something between them that’s different to Brooke and Jay. I think that’s because I got to know her so closely – I can see the things that she’d bring to a relationship and I obviously know the things that Jimmy’s wanting as well. Meeting his mum Susan, she has that sense of humour as well so I can see how Holly would easily slot into that family as well.
WATCH BELOW: Jimmy Nicholson meets Holly Kingston on The Bachelor. Post continues after video…
Based on the huge amount of support you’ve received, would you consider becoming the Bachelorette?
It’s so crazy! I certainly did not apply for the Bachelor to then try and be the Bachelorette – I did not ever intend on going through this process twice and I was definitely there to try and find love. In saying that, seeing the reaction of the public and having them really gunning for me despite being older in my thirties, maybe Australia wants to see an established woman find love? I think there’s a lot of us out there who have everything but the man than we’d probably realise. If Australia’s ever wanting to see that and if I ever got the knock on the door, I’d consider it.
Looking back, what was your Bachelor highlight?
Oh my god so many. Honestly getting to know Jimmy was a massive highlight – he’s such a genuine and awesome person so I feel really grateful that he entered my life for a period of time and I know we’ll be friends after this for sure. Meeting Holly as well, we speak every day and that’s a friendship I will definitely have for life so I’m so grateful for having met her. Other highlights for me would be the superhero flyboarding date – I really wasn’t as bad as they showed on TV and did just as well as everyone else! The obstacle course date and the face reading, I could just keep reeling the highlights off! The experience as a whole was so life-changing in the best way. I had an absolute ball, including all of the down moments, it was such a crazy, wacky experience and I’m so glad I did it. And I came out with some amazing girlfriends – I’m so grateful to have made friendships with people who I wouldn’t have crossed paths with otherwise.
It seems like there was a lot of support in the mansion between the contestants.
That was a big thing for me in there. We don’t need to knock each other down, especially in our day and age when it’s still hard to be a woman despite the fact that it shouldn’t be hard. Women should just support each other and empower each other so having such a close little girl gang in Holly, Lily and Tahnee now, I’m so chuffed I met them.
Is there anything that happened that wasn’t shown on the show or that you wish we’d seen more of?
Other than me absolutely gunning it at flyboarding? [Laughs] No, I think everything’s been a really true representation of the experience for me. It’s obviously the tiniest tip of the iceberg but it’s all been a pretty accurate reflection from my perspective. I guess it would’ve been nice to see some more of the intimate chats that Jimmy and I had. I think there was a little bit around whether I got deep enough with him, and I definitely did, but I don’t think all of those moments were shown. Other than that I’ve enjoyed watching all of it.
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