The Bachelor contestant Brooklyn Willie is opening up about her abusive past. She shared some of what she experienced in a former relationship with Zach Shallcross on the February 13, 2023 episode of the show.
Us Weekly reported that after the episode aired, the Texas native shared her thoughts on her Instagram Story. “I am so overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support from everyone. It does not go unnoticed, and it is more appreciated than anyone will ever know,” she wrote.
Along with her message of thanks, Brooklyn reposted a fan’s video from her one-on-one date in the Bahamas with Zach. The couple rode ATV’s and shared a romantic dinner that evening. The rodeo barrel racer decided she wanted him “to know, like, who I am and how I got to be that way.”
Brooklyn told Zach that she always wanted to be in a loving relationship like her grandparents had. Sadly, she ended up with someone who was so emotionally and physically abusive that she stopped speaking.
“It got to a point where it got physical,” Brooklyn said with a catch in her voice. “So for six whole years, I was not myself.” The abuse got so bad that she was literally woken up by the police one night, because she had been “knocked out.” She realized then that she just had to dig deep and find the strength to leave the relationship.
Zach also got emotional when he told Brooklyn how much he admired her strength. “You are so f***ing tough,” he told her. “It makes me sick to my stomach that you had to go through something like that.”
In a confessional interview, Zach called Brooklyn a “badass.” He said, “[N]o human should ever be treated that way.”
Following Brooklyn’s emotional outpouring, host Jesse Palmer showed his support on Twitter. “Heartbreaking to hear Brooklyn talk about her past relationship. She is so strong, courageous and deserving of love and happiness,” he tweeted.
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This isn’t the first time a member of Bachelor Nation has opened up about an abusive past. Bachelorette star Katie Thurston shared her past experience with sexual assault in June 2021.
“I had been drinking, and I was involved in a situation where there wasn’t consent,” she said on the episode of The Bachelorette. “And I was in denial about what happened, so much so that I tried to form a relationship with him, because I didn’t want to believe what actually had happened.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more.
TELL US – WERE YOU SHOCKED BY BROOKLYN’S DESCRIPTION OF WHAT SHE’D EXPERIENCED IN HER RELATIONSHIP? PLEASE SHOW HER SOME SUPPORT WITH YOUR COMMENTS BELOW.
[Photo Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images]
