Well, that’s one way to break-up!
Thursday night’s episode of The Bachelorette ended in a very dramatic fashion with a frank Courtney admitting he might not be able to tell Georgia he loved her by the end of the show.
“I don’t think it’s enough… I can’t keep doing it to myself. I need to be true to what I came in here for and what I wholeheartedly believe I can and will find at the end of this,” a teary Georgia confessed before asking Courtney to leave.
“I don’t really see any point in having a Rose Ceremony tonight. I think you should go now,” the stunning brunette instructed as a shocked Courtney walked off without a word.
As Australia reacts to the shock exit, we caught up with the 30-year-old to talk about his Bachelorette experience!
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COURTNEY, 30, Industrial Designer
Were you sad or surprised to go?
I was sad to leave. I suppose I was a little surprised but at the same time, Georgia and I had some very, very deep conversations and our journey was a little bit of a roller coaster.
I think the issue was we both had very, very strong feelings for each other and I told her on multiple occasions that I was very much ‘in like’ with her. It got to that stage in the journey where being ‘in like’ with someone wasn’t quite enough.
I told her that I do wish I met her on the outside and we could develop this relationship as organically you normally would. But unfortunately she needed me to be at a level of emotion and feelings that I wasn’t quite at and I couldn’t sit there and tell her I was in love with her…
I had one more date with her and I couldn’t look her in the eyes and tell her I’d be in love with her after that next date. It sucked, I didn’t want it to end.
Despite it being reality TV, do you go through the same emotions as a normal break-up?
Yeah! Very much so. I’ve only had one real relationship and that was five years and I definitely remember how I felt when that happened. [The feelings] are very similar.
I didn’t want it to end. I did really like Georgia and I wanted to see where that would go. She was very confident she’d be able to look the person at the end in the eyes, that she was in love with them. I suppose I just couldn’t promise her that.
I didn’t want to lie to her and tell her I could and say “Yeah I’m sure I’ll fall in love with you by the end of this!” when there was only one more date left. I wanted to be completely open and honest, I didn’t want to build a relationship on false emotions that had been exaggerated by the situation we were in.
Georgia and Courtney’s romance came crashing down!
Do you think you’ll catch up with Georgia and be friends?
I hope we catch up and I hope we move past trying to build a relationship together and just become good friends. Because she’s an incredible person and someone I get along with well and someone I’d be absolutely privileged to have as a friend. So I really hope so!
Are you still single?
Yes! I am still single and happy to be single and not step into a relationship for some time. You never know when you’re going to run into the love of your life so of course I’m still very open to falling in love… but I think at the same time, I’m going to take a break from that level of emotion.
Was it hard introducing your pseudo girlfriend to your family and being sent home?
Yeah, to be honest we had a couple of very serious conversations and I actually said to her at the beginning of the home date that I just wanted today to be about getting to know each other better.
WATCH: Courtney and Georgia’s very honest discussion. Post continues after the video…
It’s the storm-out the whole country can’t stop talking about!
What did your family think of having Georgia there?
It’s quite funny, they thought it was a little bit daunting with cameras and crew there. But having a girl to introduce to your family is a big thing that I don’t take lightly. They were interested to get to know this girl.
I did have strong feelings for her and I wanted their honest opinion on how we looked as a couple and what they thought of her. You’re in this house where everyone likes this one girl and you don’t really get honest perspective about your relationship with her.
You’ve spent so much time with the final three, who do you think will win?
I’ve always had a strong opinion for Matty J. He was someone who opened up to us early but was still a little reserved around Georgia and I don’t think she saw that side of him until a lot later.
He’s been labelled the dark horse and rightfully so! But he’s definitely the whole package.
Georgia wasn’t impressed with Courtney’s lack of commitment.
Were you happy with your portrayal on the show? Is that who you are?
I mean, yeah! I was 100% myself and once I came out of it, I thought, pat yourself on the back. You didn’t say anything, you didn’t do anything that wasn’t you.
I didn’t allow my feelings to be exaggerated. I didn’t treat it as if I was on a television show, I treated it as if I was trying to fall in love and build a relationship with this person. I had absolutely no regrets!
What were the highlights and lowlights of the whole experience?
The highlight obviously was meeting Georgia and being open to falling in love and building a relationship that was pretty cool. Without sounding too cliché, the lowlight probably leaving Georgia!
The reality star thinks Matty J will win Georgia’s heart.
