Katie Thurston Revealed She Almost Quit The Bachelorette — And Why She Stayed
“At that moment, I was at my lowest and really wanted to leave.”
The Bachelorette Season 17 officially underway and Katie Thurston is ready to find her husband. Of course, it’s no secret that starring in the reality series can be a big emotional rollercoaster, but apparently, filming the season was so intense that the newest lead almost pulled a Clare Crawley and left before the season was over. In a new interview, Katie Thurston explained why she almost quit The Bachelorette — and why she ultimately stayed.
For context: A trailer for the season shows Katie crying over some sort of drama while she says via voiceover, “I came here to find love. Do I continue here, or do I just leave now?” Then it cuts to a clip of her looking seriously ready to jump ship. “I am done, I am done, I am done,” she proclaims, heading to what appears to be her hotel suite and slamming the door. “Someone book my f*cking flight home!”
Bachelor Nation probably won’t learn the exact context behind that scene until much later in the season, but for now, Katie spilled some behind-the-scenes tea. “At that moment, I was at my lowest and really wanted to leave,” she told Us Weekly in a June 7 interview. “And if it wasn’t for the amazing women who have been Bachelorettes before helping me navigate that, I probably would have. And so I’m so thankful for all of them.”
The amazing women in question are presumably the Season 17 guest hosts and former Bachelorettes, Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe, who stepped in to guide Katie through her season after longtime host Chris Harrison announced he was stepping back from the franchise in March. And according to Katie, having other women there to lend a helping hand every step of the way was a welcome change.
“I certainly did not expect to have both of them there with me the entire time,” Katie told Us Weekly. “And so I think I was just, like, so overwhelmed. You see [me], like, crying of relief and happiness and excitement to have them there to help me.”
That’s all good to hear, but now that we know Katie stayed to complete her Bachelorette journey, that begs the follow-up questions: Did she find love? Did she get engaged? Fans will have to wait and see, but it certainly seems possible. When Us Weekly asked Katie how she’s doing post-show, she replied, “I’ve come to learn that everything happens for a reason. And that being said, I am happy, yes.”
The Bachelorette Season 17 continues Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
