Grant Ellis is falling in love with Jenn Tran on The Bachelorette, and he's hoping to not have his heart crushed before hometown dates.
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
"Grant is already showing me that he has the same values as me," Jenn gushed in a confessional earlier in the season.
"The way he talked about how he wants to be a father and really wants a family was so sincere. I could tell he wanted it, and he really touched my heart."
Jenn and Grant's relationship deepened once they enjoyed a one-on-one date in New Zealand in which they went horseback riding, and Grant admitted that he could see himself "starting to fall" for The Bachelorette star.
"I feel like it's supposed to happen this way," Grant told The Bachelorette cameras.
At the cocktail party preceding the fifth Rose Ceremony of the season, Grant announced to the guys how he was "genuinely falling in love with Jenn" and he didn't say that lightly. Grant said it suddenly "hit" him that he was tripping for the brunette beauty.
Before the Rose Ceremony, Grant started crying because he really cared about Jenn and didn't know how she was feeling about him. Grant was trying to hold it together, but he ended up receiving a rose.
Until The Bachelorette viewers can find out what happens next between Jenn and Grant, let's learn more about this handsome suitor right now.
Below is a list of six facts Reality TV World has compiled about The Bachelorette bachelor Grant Ellis.
Grant Ellis was a professional basketball player
Grant has been playing basketball since he was eight-years-old.While Grant works as a day trader now, the 6'5" bachelor briefly had a career playing basketball.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWGrant says he was the first Division I signee out of his Hudson Catholic high school.
Grant ultimately graduated from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT, and then he went overseas to play professional basketball.
However, an injury forced Grant to pivot into a different career, and so he chose finance.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Grant Ellis is a defender of Devin Strader
Grant stood up for Devin amid all the drama in the house during a recent episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast."I think Devin was locked in on Jenn... Devin, if he feels some type of way, he's going to say it and that's how he's going to do it," Grant told Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt.
Grant added, "If he feels some type of way, that's what he's going to say and he's going to let you know about it -- and that's the way that I am! So I respected that."
In terms of Thomas' behavior on the show, Grant said, "Nobody is owed anything, so I'm not going to interrupt... If someone feels like they're owed time, they better wait in line."
ADVERTISEMENT
Grant said all The Bachelorette men bickering "definitely made some of the guys look immature."
Basketball isn't Grant Ellis' only hobby
Grant, who was born in New Jersey, loves poetry and reading. ABC says his smile "lights up every room" that he walks into.When Grant isn't hustling to make money at his job -- which he hopes will provide for his family one day -- he enjoys watching NBA basketball, particularly the Lakers, and going bowling.
Grant also sings his heart out at karaoke.
Grant was in a seven-year relationship prior to The Bachelorette
Grant came out of a long-term, seven-year relationship before meeting Jenn.The relationship was long distance for the most part, which added a complication to Grant's love life while he was playing basketball.
"I was in a relationship while I was playing basketball overseas. We actually met in college... But we grew apart. [We had] different life paths and different goals," Grant explained on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast.
Grant said the breakup was a mutual decision for the most part and that he really appreciated having this woman in his life.
"I would've stayed in it, but she had different plans... I think I was a little more hurt by it, but at the end of the day, I respected her decision," Grant shared.
Grant said he learned a lot from that relationship, lessons that he'll carry with him into his next romance.
On possibly entering another long-distance relationship in the future, Grant said, "If it had to be that way and there was no other option, I wouldn't leave because of that. But I wouldn't opt for it either."
Grant noted how he took the time he needed to heal from that breakup and so he's "super ready" for love again.
ADVERTISEMENT
Grant Ellis is a mama's boy -- and his mother got him on The Bachelorette!
Grant is very close to his mother, and she actually submitted an application to The Bachelorette casting department on his behalf."Believe it or not -- my mom signed me up," Grant shared on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast.
Grant said his mother had wanted to set him up on dates with friends' daughters but Grant wasn't up for that.
"I wasn't dating. I was just focusing on work," Grant recalled.
"[My mom] saw The Golden Bachelor, and she was like, 'You know what? I'm going to sign you up [for this franchise]!' And then I got a call and the rest is history."
Grant's father is recently sober, and Grant is very proud
Grant said his father had been an addict for 30 years and finding out about his father's battle was difficult for him.Grant recalled how the one person he had trusted the most was always lying to him.
"In my eyes, I thought, 'You're a man. Why aren't you doing what you're supposed to do?'" Grant said.
Once Grant's father lost his job, he apparently checked into rehab and tried to turn his life around. Grant said his father was out of excuses.
By the time Grant filmed The Bachelorette, his father was two months sober.
"My mission is to be the man that my father wasn't," Grant noted. "I hope he holds strong. It's his first time living."
ADVERTISEMENT
Click here to read episode-by-episode spoilers about how Jenn's The Bachelorette season unfolds, including who Jenn picks as her winner and runner-up.
Interested in more The Bachelor news? Follow our Bachelor Nation News Page on Facebook or join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
