The Bachelor alum Cassie Randolph reportedly didn't know Colton Underwood was gay during their entire year-and-a-half long relationship and only learned his sexual orientation when The Bachelor star came out publicly.

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"Cassie found out Colton is gay the same time that everyone else did," a source told People. "She's still processing it."

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An insider previously told Us Weekly that Cassie was "not made aware" in advance Colton would be announcing he is gay on the April 14 episode of Good Morning America, but now it appears Cassie was not aware Colton was gay at all or that he'd ever be coming out.

Colton and Cassie, who dated for 18 months after meeting on The Bachelor's 23rd season, split in May 2020.

Although their breakup was initially amicable and Colton and Cassie intended on staying friends, Colton appeared to pick a fight with Cassie over an interview she conducted on ABC and then Cassie filed a restraining order against the former NFL player in September 2020 because she was reportedly "fearful for her safety."

Cassie had accused Colton of putting a tracking device on her car post-breakup and stalking and harassing her. She also filed a police report in October 2020.

Colton later told multiple press outlets Cassie ultimately dropped the restraining order after they were able to reach an agreement in private that addressed Cassie's concerns.

"It was a very traumatic time for Cassie," the source told People, adding that public interest in Colton's interview about being gay had been a little bit of a struggle for Cassie.

"It's tough to be in the headlines and revisit painful memories."

A source close to Cassie recently told the UK's Daily Mail that the Randolph family is concerned Colton's alleged alarming behavior last year is being overshadowed and maybe even forgotten by the recent celebration of his coming out.

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After all, reports have circulated Colton is currently filming a new reality show for Netflix about his journey through life as an openly-gay man. (A Change.org petition has about 26,000 signatures trying to cancel the show due to his past with Cassie).

The Bachelor alum Demi Burnett -- who became friends with Cassie on Colton's season -- told The Sun, for instance, that Colton needs to be "held accountable" for his actions last year before he is "celebrated" for "being brave" in coming out as gay.

"I do want to make sure everyone respects Cassie who has gone through a lot and been very hurt by Colton," Demi said, according to the Daily Mail.

"I know she would never have filed that restraining order unless she had no other choice. It must've been terrifying for her."

But the People source said of Cassie, "She is a person of faith and she believes in forgiveness. And ultimately, she's going to be just fine. She's moved on with her life."

Shortly after Colton came out as gay in a GMA interview with Robin Roberts, Cassie took off on a vacation with family and friends to Cozumel, Mexico, so it appears she is currently focusing on her well-being and happiness.

Colton revealed on GMA that he and Cassie are not in communication and haven't spoken "at all."

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In new footage of the GMA interview that aired during the April 15 episode of ABC's Nightline, Colton shared of Cassie, "I don't know if I ever will get the chance to sit down and talk with her. I would like to."

As far as what he would tell Cassie if given the opportunity, Colton explained, "I would like to say sorry for how things ended. I messed up. I made a lot of bad choices."

"I made mistakes at the end of that relationship and I ruined the good memories we had by my actions and what I did to hold on to being straight because I didn't want to look myself in the mirror," Colton continued. "So for that, I'm extremely, extremely sorry."

Colton selected Cassie from California as his winner on The Bachelor, which filmed in late 2018, over Tayshia Adams and Hannah Godwin.

Prior to their surprising decision to part ways in Spring 2020, Colton had publicly discussed wanting to propose marriage to Cassie in the near future, although Cassie had previously insisted on more than one occasion she wasn't ready to get married or settled down yet.

Despite being gay during their near two-year relationship, Colton confirmed he was definitely in love with Cassie, which made acknowledging he's gay and his decision to come out to his family and the public even "harder and more confusing" for him.

"If I'm being very honest, I loved everything about her and it's hard for me to articulate what my emotions were in going through that relationship with her because I obviously had an internal fight going on," Colton explained on GMA.

"I would just say that I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart. I'm sorry for the pain and emotional stress I caused. I wish it wouldn't have happened the way it did."

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Colton added, "I wish I would have been courageous enough to fix myself before I broke anybody else."

Colton said he understands why Cassie and his other The Bachelor bachelorettes may be feeling misled.

"Do I regret handling [The Bachelor] the way that I did?' I do. I do think I could've handled it better, I'll say that... I just wish I didn't drag people into my own mess of figuring out who I was," Colton admitted.

He added, "I genuinely mean that. But at the same time, I can say 'sorry' to all of those women and also say 'thank you.' Because without them and without The Bachelor franchise, I don't know if I ever would have come out."

Colton said he realized he was different at the age of six and came to the conclusion he was gay in high school. But Colton explained he tried to convince himself he was straight by dating women and starring as the Bachelor.

After "hating" himself "for a long time," Colton revealed he finally accepted his sexuality earlier this year and has never been happier or healthier.

Colton -- who faced rumors he was gay while his The Bachelor season was airing -- said on GMA he's now "proud to be gay" and looking forward to meeting a male partner who can challenge him in new ways.

Prior to starring on The Bachelor, Colton found fame when he competed for Becca Kufrin's heart on The Bachelorette's fourteenth season in 2018.

After making it to Becca's Final 4 bachelors and failing to win her heart, The First Time author went on to appear on Bachelor in Paradise's fourth edition and had a fling with The Bachelor alum Tia Booth.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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