Courtesy of Network Ten
After coming up short on Matty J’s season of The Bachelor, Victoria brand manager Florence Moerenhout, 27, was ready to test the TV dating waters once more on Bachelor in Paradise. “It’s safe to say I had an amazing experience on The Bachelor,” Florence tells WHO, “and I wasn’t heartbroken when I left because I was obviously not in love with Matty J, so I think that’s why I decided to give it another go.”
What Flo didn’t expect was encountering a previous boyfriend and a potential future boyfriend all upon arriving in Paradise in the premiere episode, which aired Sunday night. “I hope Davey Lloyd will be here because I like funny and hot,” she said in the episode, adding, “I prefer taller guys, but what can you do? He’s a hottie and he’s funny.” But then entered Jake Ellis, whom Florence admitted she dated briefly prior to the show. “There’s definitely chemistry between me and Jake and we definitely got along, sometimes.”
By the end of the episode, Davey has presented his first date card to Leah Costa instead of Florence, and Florence has confronted Jake with stories she’s heard from the other girls about his reputation. What all went on? We asked Florence to break it down for us.
Q: You become the focal point of the first episode because of Jake and Davey. Did you expect that?
A: No, I definitely did not expect those two guys would be fighting over me that hard. That hasn’t happened since high school! And it’s quite flattering and frustrating at the same time because you just want everyone to get along and just be nice to everyone. And you certainly don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, so it was full-on with Jake and Davey doing that, especially because they used to be friends, so to have two friends fighting over you is interesting. It was very stressful.
Q: You were hearing things about Jake you hadn’t known before and he was very evasive in your conversation.
A: Yeah. It definitely put me on edge because I was saying how Jake was cool and how we were trying to rekindle, and then my friends tell me that he is the biggest man-whore on the Gold Coast, and then of course, I’m like, “OK, well that f—ing sucks, doesn’t it?” Because no one wants that. Yeah, I confronted him with that and he got pretty upset about it, but it was something I had to keep in the back of my head. Look, I don’t want you to judge anyone on their past behaviour, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind.
Q: You got on very quickly with Davey, but he chose Leah for the date. Did that leave you feeling ambivalent?
A: Oh, when he decided to take Leah on a date, I was like, “Seriously, mate?” He came back full of regret, “I really wanted to take you, but Jake told me you were his.” It was quite shocking to me because I definitely expecting to get that date, and I’m not surprised that he regretted it. It seems like they didn’t really have a great time.
Q: Are both men your type?
A: I think my type has remained the same. Just someone who is funny and smart and all that.
To read more from Florence, pick up the latest issue of WHO on newsstands today.
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