Ed Swiderski's mother supports his decision to choose keeping his job over continuing to compete for the heart of The Bachelorette star Jillian Harris.
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"He had just gotten this job. He wanted to keep it. I guess maybe he didn't expect to go as far [on the show] as he did," Swiderski's mom Judith Elliott told the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday.
"He could have chosen her and then not been the one in the end anyway. There are still seven or eight guys left. And besides, how could she know if she really wanted him if he didn't have a job?"
After Swiderski accompanied Harris and seven other suitors on a snowmobile-themed date, the group enjoyed a party at a private ski lodge. During the party, Ed revealed that his employer -- who the Sun-Times confirmed is Microsoft -- was pressuring him to leave the show and return to his job.
"I had a conference call with my boss this morning and he's giving me a lot of pressure about being here," Swiderski told Harris. "He's like 'What are you doing?' I don't know, it was almost like an ultimatum and so it just made me think about what I'm doing and I don't know. I'm like 'What am I doing here?' I'm jeopardizing a ton."
"I'm not asking you to jeopardize your life for me," she told him. "What I do know is that if you couldn't stay here and you couldn't be here because if that I would understand but I would be really upset."
"Things are starting to snowball and things are kind of starting to fall apart and my boss basically laid it out and said 'Well either you're going to be here working or you're going to be unemployed and you can go and find love,'" Swiderski subsequently explained. "If Jillian gave me the indicators that she felt strongly about me then I could potentially walk away from my career. If she really gives me those signs then that's what I may do."
Harris eventually ended the group date by presenting Swiderski with the group date's rose -- assuring his safety if he decided to stay.
"I really like you and I want you to stay and I want you to be here," she explained. "I also want you to know that there is no pressure with this rose. I want to you think about it for a couple of days and I want you to decide whether you want to keep this rose or you want to give it back and whatever you decide I will completely understand."
However a couple of days later, Swiderski told Harris he was leaving the show so he could return to his job, describing the decision as "one of the hardest things I've ever done."
"He started being ready to settle down last year," Swiderski's mom told the Sun-Times.
"I'm proud of the way he handled it, and I'm proud of his work. He took a chance going on there. You've got to go for it. You don't want to regret anything, whatever the outcome. And you learn from the experience."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWABC has yet to make Swiderski available for media interviews, citing his job obligations as one of the reasons.
"He's busy with work. He has a lot going on. He's just not available," a network spokeswoman told the Sun-Times.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
