The Bachelor: Colton Underwood opens up about being bullied

The Bachelor’s Colton Underwood opens up about being bullied as a kid and questioning his sexuality.

Colton Underwood was first introduced to Bachelor Nation during his season of The Bachelor. His “claim to fame”, so to speak, was that he was a virgin, and had been saving himself for the right person. It was pretty much the theme of the entire season and the butt of every single joke.

Fast forward over a year later, and he’s happily dating Cassie Randolph, his number one choice from the season. Currently, Underwood is recovering from the coronavirus, and self-quarantined in the Randolph home in Huntington Beach. But don’t worry, he’s on the mend!

I must admit that while the whole fence-jumping debacle seemed overhyped last year, it certainly led to a beautiful relationship. Both Cassie and Colton seem extremely happy, and while they didn’t leave the show engaged, it seems like things couldn’t be better!

Colton Underwood’s season was a year ago, and since then, there’s been another with Peter Weber as the lead. It was a rather….interesting season, to say the least, and had us all over the place. I would say it was very anticlimactic and was more drama than substance, but hey, that’s just me.

Anyway, while watching Weber’s season, Underwood was reminded of his own, as he told PEOPLE during an exclusive interview.

"I had a little bit of PTSD. It brought up a lot of emotions."

Although most of us can’t relate to what being a Bachelor Nation lead or contestant feels like, I can imagine that it brings up a lot of insecurities, fear, and regret. For Underwood, it was very much that. In fact, his new book, The First Time: Finding Myself and looking for Love on Reality TV (aka “I was a virgin when I starred on The Bachelor”), Underwood opens up growing up feeling insecure as a result of intense bullying.

"I was called fatso, four eyes and four lips, because I used to lick my lips, so I would constantly have a red ring around them. I was a little heavy, and that, combined with being socially awkward, led to a really hard time. I didn’t believe in myself. And I was super insecure."

His troubles grew when rumors began circulating in high school regarding his sexuality.

"It was one of those things where you hear something so often, you start believing it. I thought, maybe I am gay. The captain of the football team should be having sex and drinking, right? But I wasn’t."

These struggles ultimately defined Underwood and helped him grow rather than fall apart. It was an intense journey, but ultimately, he found his way through it after he got into his first serious relationship with Olympic gymnast, Aly Raisman. Following their breakup, he entered the world of Bachelor Nation as a contestant on Becca Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette and then eventually became the Bachelor.

The Bachelor Nation journey helped him push through the insecurities he grew up with, and the questions that taunted him for so long. And now, he’s madly in love with Cassie, and he’s found what I believe is his happy ending.

"I finally found somebody I really just want to be with. I want my life to be with Cassie. I know who I am. And that’s really all that matters."

We never know what people are going through or what they’ve been through in their past. Hearing Colton Underwood’s story is uplifting because, despite the obstacles against him, he found a way to shine and make the best of his life.

Kudos to our Bachelor for finding happiness in his life, and for showing those that spoke against him that he will persevere.

We’re here for your success and proud of you for it, Colton!