You were one of the only girls with whom Richie openly discussed and asked about a future – more blatantly than most of the others. And yet he didn’t take you to the final four. What was that all about?
I don’t really know! But I feel like we just had a good friendship from the start, and then when I went on that single date with him and “Rory”, it became more aware to me that we were going to remain just friends. You know, maybe he was asking those questions as a way of trying to see if there were other things we might have had in common after the compatibility challenge.
Did having Hamish Blake as your “baby” put you off that one-on-one date with Richie? It was not a traditionally romantic date by any means.
No, it wasn’t a date at all. [Laughs] At first I thought it would be cool, but then it started and I was like… wait a minute, are we going to get any time together? It just kept going and going and going with no down time, and I was thinking, what the hell is going on? Why would they do this to me?
Did it bother you that you had to spend your one-on-one dating showing off how you’d be as a mum rather than as a romantic partner?
I didn’t really think about that too much, to be honest. I just went along with it, and thought it was pretty funny. I do want kids, though I’m not in any rush to have them. Especially after “Rory”!
Did it sting more knowing you just missed out on making the final 4 and doing Home Towns visits?
Look, I’m really happy with where I got. I feel like if I went any further, and had taken Richie home to meet my family, it would have gotten not only more real but also harder for me. I was already starting to struggle in the house by that point. I’m glad I left when I did. I got to participate in all the fun stuff, all of the group dates. [Tonight] is when it gets full-on, serious, and down to the nitty-gritty. And in the outside world, when it comes to dating, I don’t normally dive or rush into things with a potential partner. That’s what I would have had to do if I’d stayed on.
Can you explain what you mean when you say you were struggling in the house?
It gets more and more tough trying to undersand where you’re at, or if Richie actually feels anything for you. You constantly have to open up more and more every time you see him, and that was hard—I couldn’t just throw my whole ehart out there when I didn’t feel that I was going to be the girl he wanted in the end. It was just confusing.
So you knew you were on the outs?
Yes and no. When I watch it back on TV now, I realise that I was miles behind everyone else! [Laughs] We were just hangin’ out, and some of them were already married up. It’s been a bit of an eye-opener.
Were you in love with Richie, or at least have feelings for him?
I wasn’t in love with him, but I definitely had feelings for him while I was in the house. I’m fine, though. I can definitely see that he had better connections with the others.
So who are you tipping to take the prize?
I’m really torn on this one. I honestly can’t decide. It’s between Nikki and Alex, for sure. I had my eye on them from the start, and always saw them as the biggest threats. Just the way they talk about him … like, maybe he told them something he wasn’t telling me?
Your giggliness always came off as quite endearing, though it seemed to be your downfall in the end. What was the issue?
[Sighs] Oh, God. I don’t know. I just couldn’t get my words out. I was feeling nervous. You know, they didn’t show it on TV, but I’d already had that same conversation with Richie a few days before. So I felt a bit unnatural having it all over again. I felt like, this is dumb. I can’t say this again. Clearly, I’m not a good actor!
Let’s talk about Megan and Tiffany – their recent photo shoots are garnering a lot of attention. And they’ve teased they might be more than just friends. What is your take?
I honestly have no idea, but I do think they’re probably just really good friends.
It’s certainly getting them a lot of publicity.
Well, that’s it. And it’s definitely working for them!
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