Colton Underwood is ready to live his truth.
The former “Bachelor” star came out as gay in an exclusive interview with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” on Wednesday.
“I’ve ran from myself for a long time. I’ve hated myself for a long time,” Underwood told Roberts in a pre-taped chat. “And I’m gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know.”
“I’m still nervous, but yeah,” he continued. “It’s been a journey for sure.”
Underwood said he finally got to a place where he could be honest with himself after 2020, the year that turned everyone’s lives upside down and made people “look at themselves in the mirror and figure out who they are and what they’ve been running from or what they’ve been putting off in their lives.”
When Roberts, who is also gay, said she could “see the joy” and “see the relief” in Underwood, he said he was “emotional in, like such a good, happy, positive way” and is “the happiest and healthiest” he’s ever been.
Bachelor Nation was first introduced to Underwood when he was a contestant on Becca Kufrin’s season of “The Bachelorette,” the 14th season, in 2018. He made it to Kufrin’s final four.
The former football star followed this up with a brief stint on season 4 of “Bachelor in Paradise,” on which he had a fling with Tia Booth.
Underwood was then the lead of season 23 of “The Bachelor” in 2019, with his virginity being a frequent topic of conversation and his famous fence-jumping moment being one of the franchise’s most dramatic moments. He gave his final rose to contestant Cassie Randolph but ultimately chose to not propose to her, though they later told “GMA” they had discussed an engagement.
The two dated after the show wrapped until announcing their breakup in early 2020. They later made headlines when Randolph filed for a restraining order against Underwood, accusing him of stalking and harassing her. In a police report, she accused him of putting a tracking device on her car. Underwood later released a statement explaining that he and Randolph had resolved their issues in private. She later dismissed the restraining order and requested the police investigation be dropped.
Prior to his time on reality TV, Underwood famously dated Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman. He wrote about their relationship — and much more — in his 2020 book, “The First Time: Finding Myself and Looking for Love on Reality TV.”
