Luke McLeod was the name on ours and Sophie Monk’s lips.
Many were certain that Luke McLeod would win The Bachelorette Australia.
From the very moment we met him on the Channel Ten dating show, the entire country felt we had THE ONE on our hot little hands.
But there were rumblings of another suitor vying for Sophie Monk’s heart… In the shape of millionaire pub owner, Stu Laundy.
And the 44-year-old has been nothing short of charming during his time on The Bachelorette Australia.
If you’re a betting gal or guy, you’d understand why Luke McLeod has been pipped from top spot.
But Sportsbet’s Will Byrne thinks the George Clooney look-alike is still in with a chance.
“There are 500 million reasons why Stu is the favourite, but Luke is still firmly in the race. With plenty of competition the chase for Sophie Monk’s heart is far from over,” he says.
So until we get down to Soph’s top picks, we investigate this year’s potential winner, and uncover everything you need to know about The Bachelorette’s Luke McLeod…
He used to date Laura Byrne!
We can see how Laura was attracted to Luke.
The rumours are very true.
Sophie Monk’s front runner dated The Bachelor Australia 2017 winner Laura Byrne.
Their romance picked up after Luke exited a 10-year relationship.
“We did date for a couple of months, I swear to God it was a complete coincidence,” he told Confidential.
“She’s an amazing woman, we dated for a couple of months and realised we were better off being really good friends and that’s where things are at now.”
These days Laura is pretty smitten with her Bachie beau, Matty J!
In fact, the pair are still mates and have even kept swap stories about their Bachie experience.
“She’s been so supportive of my journey,” he said, before admitting it was a huge surprise when he saw her in an ad for The Bachelor earlier this year.
“I couldn’t believe it! There was no hesitation in reaching out [to her] and I said, ‘wow, I wish you all the best.'”
Just like Matty J, Luke used to act
Liking pretty brunettes isn’t the only thing Luke has in common with Matty J.
Just like last season’s Bachelor, Luke McLeod used to be a paid actor!
While we can’t all have a beaver-themed Kotex U ad on our resume…
Luke has starred in an Aeroplane Jelly commercial.
The 33-year-old gives us (and Soph) a preview of home life, acting as a dad-of-two as he gets ready for a birthday.
Luke was pretty chuffed with his acting gig, sharing a snap on Instagram from the filming day back in March.
Check out Luke’s acting chops below!
“One of things I’m doing this year is stepping more out of my comfort zone and trying new things,” he wrote alongside the snap
“Packed to the Rafters eat your heart out haha… next time you’re watching Sponge Bob Square Pants keep an eye out for my little family!”
Meet Australia’s next Oprah
He’s yet to hand out free cars and candles but Luke McLeod does see himself as a lifestyle guru or as we’ve astutely observed… A ripped version of Oprah.
Before you go running to audition to be his Gayle, here’s what you need to know.
He loves quoting himself.
^HE LOVES IT.
He also adores posting photos of the sky and the sea and pondering things.
Our man in touch with his feelings is our kinda guy!
Unlike Oprah, we have no official comment on his view on bread.
He gets paid to be mindful
Not all artists make money from their talents…
But Luke isn’t in that bucket.
When he’s not creating his own quote memes, meditating or being mindful, Luke McLeod is being paid to create quote memes, teaching meditation and how to be mindful.
Or if you want a “technical job title” he’s a business and soul consultant at his start-up Soul Society.
The 33-year-old teaches “corporate calmness” and encouraging individuals to “practice being more you.”
If you’ve never experienced “corporate calmness”, Luke’s website describes it as “a new progressive approach to getting the best out of your team.”
^ Disclaimer: As Sophie’s discovered, it’s very easy to get swept away!
He also is an investor at The Entourage, and it sounds very Zuckerberg-esque.
One pal told us exclusively, “Luke worked at The Entourage which is a ‘business education’ centre, he was in senior management.”
“It runs like one of those cool Silicon Valley start-ups where there are ping pong tables and fridges of beer and everyone is young and good looking.”
They added, “Everyone is nice, but there’s this underlying vibe where a lot of the staff wants to be some sort of motivational speaker like the founder Jack Delosa – a lot of the staff’s Instagram pages have inspirational quotes and messages – they even quote themselves, which is a bit of a cringe.”
^ Mates who meme
Watch Luke teach us how to be a better individual, through simply smiling!
He’s from Sydney’s Northern Beaches
The Bachelor Australia 2017 may have been all about the Eastern Suburbs, but Luke and his ridiculous eight-pack are single-handedly repping the Northern Beaches.
Below you’ll see visuals of his abs enjoying the sun in places like Manly, Luke being manly, Luke standing on grass, Luke singing…
(We’ve been advised using a guitar requires a shirt. Obviously, we’ll be having words with his people.)
Enjoy.
Luke was in a ten year relationship
Luke McLeod is not messing about.
No stranger to heartbreak, the handsome 33-year-old was in a 10-year relationship from the age of 21.
Luke has been relatively quiet on his former flame, but he did tell TV Week, “I was at university and we’d just finished exams. We were at one of the local small bars and she walked in and caught my eye.”
“It took me a lot of courage to go up and say hello, but eventually I did and it all went from there.”
The pair lived together for eight years and even discussed kids and marriage.
But Luke admits, he wanted to settle down more – ultimately resulting in the demise of their relationship.
“I was probably the one who wanted it a bit more.”
Adding, “She really wanted to travel and work overseas. I was quite invested in my work and wanted to stay here.”
Living by his own holistic mantra, the pair have remained friends.
“We’re friends. But we wouldn’t be going out of our way to catch up.”
He ACTUALLY wants to find love
He’s been a favourite from Day One.
1The Bardot babe loved how “incredibly nervous” he was when they first met.
“He’s very handsome. Like, a bit George Clooney-ish!”
And fans were quick to jump on the same bandwagon.
How is he navigating through all of this?
“All I’m focused on is being me and being natural with Sophie and focusing on that relationship and not trying to think too much about what the other guys are doing with her.”
2It’s hard to get distracted on Soph’s journey to love with all the drama. But Luke is adamant he won’t let that deter him.
“If things get a bit tense I might tend to be like alright guys lets chill a bit,” he told NW.
“They are all really good blokes.”
“A lot of different characters and that’s what makes this experience so amazing. I’ve got a lot of time for all of them.”
How to stalk Luke McLeod… The Instagram account you need in your life
After all that, we’re guessing you’re going to want to go onto your own Luke McLeod journey.
You can follow Sophie’s man on Instagram through his handle @luke.mcleod
