Bachelorette Clare Crawley Discusses Abusive Relationship, Says She Wants To Be Loved ‘For All The Hard Stuff’

Clare Crawley wants a relationship that’s built on honesty. In a new interview with the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, the future Bachelorette said that she was in an abusive relationship before dating Juan Pablo Galavis, and was also homeless. In the interview, she explained that she has started talking about that time in her life because she wants to be loved for the worst parts of her life.

“I had just gone through a really, really abusive relationship going into Juan Pablo’s season,” Crawley explained on the podcast.

In discussing her past, the former Bachelor contestant said that she no longer sees that time in her life as shameful. She said that she wants the man of her dreams to know the worst parts of her, so they can see that it’s not always easy to be empowered and confident and strong.

The Bachelorette continued, saying that allowing her love interests to know difficult things about her life will hopefully allow them to appreciate who she is today.

“Anybody can love you for the easy fun times and the smiles and the laughs.”

Crawley also added that she wanted to find a man who could look past her hair and makeup to find something deeper.

“I want somebody to love me for all the hard stuff that I’ve been through. It’s been something that I’ve hidden for so many years.”

She now sees the rough parts of her past as her “superpower,” and believes those are the things that have made her who she is today.

For three months, Crawley said that she lived in her car, and was barely making minimum wage working as a hair stylist’s assistant. She said that she was also in an abusive relationship at the time and that she was dealing with the loss of her father. Eventually, Crawley said that she started to believe in herself, and that confidence just continued to build. Now, she says she looks back and can’t believe how far she’s come.

On her season of The Bachelorette, Crawley said she’s eager to share this side of herself. She added that, even for fans of The Bachelor, this story will be new. It’s a part of herself she’s never shared before.

She added that she wants her story to be a hopeful one, letting people know that things can get better. Crawley said that she’s a courageous woman now and that even when she’s feeling weak, she still has the courage to do hard things.