Gabby is speaking out after her split from Clayton Echard. On Tuesday night's season finale of The Bachelor, the leading man broke things off with the nurse after realizing his heart was with someone else.
On part one of the show's season finale, Clayton confessed that he had expressed feelings of love to each of his final three women, and said that he had been intimate with both Gabby and Rachel.
Gabby decided to stay and meet Clayton's family, despite feeling some lingering uncertainty. All seemed well when she won over those closest to him, but Clayton was still wondering what could have been with Susie, who departed the show after learning the extent of his feelings for and intimacy with the other two women.
Susie did agree to meet with Clayton, and while she was thinking things over, he decided to end things with both Gabby and Rachel, and tell them both at the same time.
"Everybody deserves to have someone give them 100 percent of their heart and, unfortunately, I can’t be that person for either of you, because my heart’s no longer here, it’s with Susie," he told them. "I’m so very sorry."
Gabby left the room, but Clayton was quick to follow behind, and slammed the Bachelor for telling her and Rachel together "that you don’t give a f**k about us" and accused him of fighting for her "for the wrong reason."
During a live, in-studio interview with host Jesse Palmer, Gabby said that things have been "up and down" since things came to an end, and that watching things provided "clarity" and proved to be "disheartening."
"I really thought it was going to be me at the end," she said. "...The ups and downs and the nature of the journey is a little tumultuous...I was angry. I felt betrayed. I felt hurt."
Even with all of those emotions, Gabby said she "of course" was in love with Clayton.
"I don’t regret anything," she said. "...This has helped me learn so much. Clayton was always a really safe space for me...Looking back, I didn’t know everything. I feel like I was supposed to be privy to that knowledge."
It was then that Gabby and Clayton reunited for the first time since their split.
"After having watched it back, the first thing that comes to mind is I feel so misled and I feel that I wasn’t given all the information...when I was making those decisions on whether I wanted to leave or not," she told him. "...I truly feel betrayed."
"I’m absolutely, incredibly sorry that you feel that way," Clayton replied. "...I can do nothing more than apologize for what I put you through...I feel terrible...I promise you I had no malicious intent with any of my actions, I just didn’t go about things in the best way."
While Gabby acknowledged that she believed he didn't have ill-intent, she slammed him for not being honest about saying that he loved Susie the most.
"You knew that would be a deal breaker for me," she insisted. "...Everything is so muddled, and you were clearly pinning us against each other. It seemed like a competition...It seemed like you had your mind set on Susie way before you wanted to tell us...I just feel extremely dismissed."
Clayton defended himself, saying that he did still feel feelings of love for both her and Rachel, but she insisted, "I don’t think you know the weight your words carry...Your actions could not back up any of your words."
While Clayton wouldn't say that he regretted being honest with his feelings, he did admit, "I didn’t ask enough questions and I made too many assumptions that were wrong."
While things didn't work out with Clayton and Gabby, both are looking forward to happier days ahead.
Following the show, Clayton reunited with Susie after she initially rejected him in Iceland. The pair are happy and in love today. As for Gabby, she was named co-Bachelorette along with Rachel, and their dual season is set to premiere this summer.
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