UPDATE: The real reason why Laurina Fleur left Bachelor In Paradise.
For Laurina Fleure, her Bachelor In Paradise dream getaway quickly became a nightmare.
Laurina tells TV WEEK the pressure for her to be with The Bachelorette Australia contestant Blake Colman forced her into hiding.
Laurina recalls initially hitting it off with Blake on her arrival on the island, admitting she was attracted to his confidence.
“I’d seen bits and pieces of him on Sophie’s season [2017, when Sophie Monk was the Bachelorette], and I thought he was cocky and cute,” the 34-year-old says.
“I wasn’t aware of his slip-ups or the way he left The Bachelorette [Blake had a memorable tantrum when Sophie dumped him].
“If I had known that stuff before, it would have been a bit of a turn-off.”
Laurina says the pressure made her anxious.
Despite an initial chemistry, the flame soon fizzled for Laurina. That’s when things took a turn for the worse.
“I was happy to hang out with Blake,” she explains. “But for me, it wasn’t evolving romantically with him.
“I found myself hiding in my room with anxiety because I didn’t want to let him down. I was happy to go along with it for a bit, but eventually it became a bit much.”
Despite having a good time on their date, Laurina told Blake she didn’t feel the same.
Adding to her anxiety, Laurina says she felt herself being ganged up on by the guys on the island.
“There were a couple of moments that made me feel uneasy,” she reveals.
“Sam Cochrane told me ‘not to mess around his friend, Blake’. I’d already felt the pressure, so to have the guys saying stuff like that to me made me anxious.
“It felt like bullying. No-one should be telling anyone they should be with someone.”
Laurina eventually told Blake the truth, but the events had a big effect on her.
“The feelings weren’t reciprocated,” Laurina says. “So I had to let him know. He was a nice guy, but it all got out of hand.”
