This article was updated with new information on November 18.
The Bachelorette Australia contestants Carissa Croft and Bed Pressing caused a stir earlier this week, when a heartfelt tribute was posted to Instagram indicating they may be an item. In an Instagram post dedicated to Carissa, Bec wrote that she “loved” her fellow contestant “to the moon and back” and that words “could not express how much you mean to me.”
The post read much like a romantic announcement, leading fans to believe the pair were together. However, in a follow-up post Bec has written that they are not a couple but just “very close friends at this stage.”
“I’m so sorry to disappoint you all. At this stage, Carissa and I are just very close friends. She’s going off to work on yachts, so my previous post is a gesture of my love and appreciation for her and our friendship after saying our goodbyes,” Bec wrote.
“Timing doesn’t always work out, but you never know what the future holds and I will be forever grateful to have her in my life.
See you in 3 months bb. I encourage everyone to openly celebrate, love and appreciate those close to them.”
“Your insta is a roller-coaster!” one fan commented, with another adding: “Friendship will eventually be more, you two are soulmates.”
Carissa added her own thoughts on their relationship in an Instagram post dedicated to Bec, writing: “I can’t imagine my life without her now. Those tears on the night of the intruders were for Bec going home – you can see the love I have for her.”
It’s not the first time fans have been confused by an Instagram fake-out by a reality TV star, with Bella Varelis and Leah Costa also finding themselves in the headlines for similar moments in the past.
The reality stars, who were part of Brooke Blurton’s season of The Bachelorette, sent followers into a frenzy when they “debuted their romance” on Instagram after fans started guessing that there was something stronger than friendship between them.
Posting a stunning photo of the two of them cuddled up on the beach at sunset, Bec gushed about love for Carissa.
“Words cannot express how much you mean to me,” she penned in a message dedicated to Carissa. “To think I’ve only had you in my life for 5 months is insane, because I can’t imagine it without you now. I love you to the moon and back.”
Bachelorette fans previously thought that there was a spark between the two women after they bonded on the show and continue their friendship even after filming wrapped.
Suspicions when were raised when Carissa spoke to TV WEEK at the start of the month, after she walked out of the Bachelorette mansion the night after Bec was eliminated.
At the time, she told Brooke she couldn’t fall in love in the Bachelorette environment and added to TV WEEK that it “just didn’t feel right”.
“It almost was like pursuing like one of your friend’s girlfriends,” she said.
Carissa went on to tell us that she formed some strong bonds in the mansion, especially with Bec, but when we asked about their friendship Carissa paused.
After a moment, she confessed: “We message every day, multiple times a day. I’m super grateful for the friendships that have formed.”
Despite the comments, she insisted that the contestants “friend-zoned” each other and were solely focused on dating Brooke.
Bec and Carissa seem to be enjoying a beach-side escape together at the moment, with both women posting coastal snaps to their Instagram pages.
WATCH BELOW: Bachelorette’s Brooke Blurton reveals where she doesn’t like to be touched (story continues)
Meanwhile, while this particular romance isn’t legit, two former Bachelor contestants have gone on to find love with one another after appearing on the show together.
Tiffany Scanlon and Megan Marx met on Richie Strahan’s season of The Bachelor in 2016 and became the first women in the Aussie franchise’s history to get together after dating the same Bachelor.
Sadly, their romance didn’t last and the pair split in March of 2017.
This story originally appeared on our sister site Now To Love
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