The Bachelorette star JoJo Fletcher has opened up about the situation regarding her ex-boyfriend Chad Rookstool, who bashed her intentions and sincerity in a recent tabloid interview.
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After an amazing one-on-one date with Jordan Rodgers that Fletcher described as "one of the best days in this entire journey," according to her People blog, it "quickly became one of the worst" when a producer handed her a copy of In Touch Weekly which featured Rookstool's late March interview.
In the interview, Rookstool, a 39-year-old Dallas salon owner, claimed he reunited with Fletcher after her The Bachelor breakup with Ben Higgins, and that they hung out every day and were intimate again. During that time, she allegedly denied having developed real feelings for Higgins.
Rookstool also claimed Fletcher dumped him to star as the Bachelorette but planned to leave the door open. He alleged that her desire to appear on the show was to further her career, calling it a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," and that she still loved him.
"Seeing that my ex-boyfriend, Chad, had said all these things about me to a magazine upset me so much. And by the way, what is it with all these Chads? Help! The moment I read that magazine article, I could barely breathe," Fletcher wrote in the blog.
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Fletcher's group of bachelors saw the article as well, and they began contemplating whether she was truly starring on The Bachelorette for the right reasons.
"Chad and I dated for years, and we shared so many good times. We will always have so many memories together. But we broke up. And that break up was hard on both of us. I fought so hard to let go, and it wasn't until I met Ben last season that I was truly able to do that," Fletcher explained.
"But as you saw when I returned home to Dallas last season for my hometown date, Chad couldn't let go. It was no different when I came home after the season. He was hurting, and it pained me for him to be in so much pain."
Fletcher therefore admitted the article had a glimmer of truth to it.
"I did spend time with him," she confessed, "but it was never with any intention of rekindling a romantic relationship. When I left for The Bachelorette, I thought we were in a good place. I thought we were back to being just friends."
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"But seeing that article, reading that he questioned my intentions for doing this, it just hurt me so much," Fletcher continued.
Fletcher was apparently very worried about how her guys would perceive this interview.
"I had no idea what to expect. I really thought it might all end right there. What if the guys believed everything that was in there? What if they all just left? That's really what I was thinking in that moment," Fletcher said.
Fletcher broke down into tears and promised the men that she was on the show to find true love. She insisted she cared about each and every one of them and it pained her to think she had lost their trust.
"But the guys were incredible. Their support was instantaneous, and I'll always be forever grateful to them as a group for that night. Without their support and their love, I might have just given up, packed all my stuff and headed back to Dallas for a lifetime of Chipotle and loneliness. But they were great," Fletcher wrote.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski