We’ve seen some exceptionally petty arguments take place over the years on The Bachelor, but this season’s tiff between frontrunners Bella Varelis and Irena Srbinovska over whether the 31-year-old nurse faked her love of hiking in order to get closer to Locky Gilbert certainly scores high on our list.
Bella became convinced Irena lied to Locky about enjoying hiking, so she would be invited on a single date – a trivial quarrel that caused a shock rift in their friendship.
But while both Bella and Irena put their feud to bed following the show’s finale last Thursday, Locky himself has taken a savage swipe at Bella and again referenced that hiking fight between his final chosen ladies, during his first post-finale date with Irena.
The new couple enjoyed the first taste of their newfound freedom after months of keeping their relationship a secret, going on a hike together at Belmore Falls in NSW’s Southern Highlands.
Taking to his Instagram stories over the weekend, Locky shared a video of himself and Irena enjoying the great outdoors, as proof that Bella’s assumptions about her fellow contestant were wrong.
“She does hike! I’m seeing it with my own eyes!” Locky joked in the video, as he filmed Irena alongside him next to a beautiful waterfall.
The 30-year-old adventure tour guide also shared a drone video of himself and Irena, which attracted several amused comments from his 120,000 Instagram followers.
“But Irena doesnt like hiking ?! 😂 You definitely made the right choice, love you guys together so much 😍😍😍,” one fan commented, while a second person wrote, “When Bella said Irena pretends to love hiking? Hmmm.”
Another fan added: “Irena’s brother Igor said in an interview that their whole family are outdoor hikers – Irena wasn’t lying.”
The Bachelor finale last week ended with Locky being forced to make a tough decision between Bella and Irena, after confessing to the women and viewers that he was in love with them both.
“I still have no idea what I want to do,” Locky told the cameras shortly before the final rose ceremony.
“I keep going back and forth back and forth thinking which future do I want? And they both look bloody amazing. I don’t want to sound selfish but I want to choose the future I can be the best me, so I can be the best for them.”
He added: ”You don’t break up with someone that you love.”
But eventually, Locky chose Irena. When Bella approached Locky during the finale, he burst into tears before breaking up with the 25-year-old Sydneysider.
“When I told you I love you, like, I meant every single word,” Locky said to a confused looking Bella.
“But… I have fallen in love with two girls. And I know you don’t, like, sort of see where your future is at the moment. I think I need just a little bit of certainty. I just don’t know if I can see us working,” he finished.
Confused and hurt, Bella questioned Locky’s decision.
”I just don’t get it. Yesterday, you told me you were in love with me. I said to you, as long as we’re together, that’s all that matters. We can nail out the details,” she said.
She then asked producers, “… Can I leave?” before declaring, “I’m going”, and leaving the set.
Bella has confirmed she is now single and is looking forward to spending time on her own before entering into another relationship.
Irene has moved from her hometown of Melbourne and is now living in Perth with Locky.
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