He rose to fame as the magic-loving Adonis who nearly stole Sophie Monk’s heart on The Bachelorette.
But since Sophie sent Apollo Jackson packing, his star has only continued to rise.
When he’s not touring the country performing magic, Apollo Jackson’s been working on his music career, starring on a little show called the Bachelor in Paradise and fronting the big-tall menswear brand Johnny Bigg for their new autumn/winter collection.
In this exclusive interview, the reality star talks to Now to Love about falling in love again, what we can expect from Bachelor in Paradise and why he’s finally feeling stylish.
Watch in the player above: Apollo Jackson on his perfect woman!
The New Mr Bigg
At six-foot-five, this big friendly giant knows all too well the struggles of finding stylish clothes that actually fit.
Enter Johnny Bigg, who cater for style and extra-large sizes.
“Johnny Bigg is amazing in that it has really well styled stuff. They have super-stylish shoes, jackets, shirts and knits. You can feel good being a bigger guy and you can rock it and look great,” Apollo explains of his new association with the label.
The perfect fit: Apollo Jackson fronts the new Johnny Bigg line (Image/Johnny Bigg)
Island style
Over the past few months, the magician has been in Fiji filming the first-ever Aussie version of Bachelor in Paradise.
Apollo says his island style was all about keeping it “casual and cool.”
“I just tried to go the nice loose-fitting button-up shirt, some cheeky boat shoes and coconut bikinis,” he jokes.
A second chance at love
It can’t be easy having to share your break-up with the country.
Despite coming third on last year’s Bachelorette with Sophie Monk, the 25-year-old has gotten over the heartbreak and is trying again to find The One on reality TV… because if at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and head to Fiji with a bunch of other hot young things!
“I didn’t have many pre-conceived ideas about anyone heading into the show because I hadn’t seen many of the previous seasons. There were a few people that had really cool personalities,” he says.
On first impressions, Apollo reveals Tara Pavlovic was a clear front-runner.
“Tara was a mate of mine before I went on but it was sort of a blank slate for me.”
She’s said to be in a love triangle with Davey Lloyd and Jake Ellis but will Apollo give them a run for their money?
Magic in Paradise
So, did Apollo manage to meet a keeper on Bachelor in Paradise?
“Ahhh, you’ll have to wait and see,” he coyly giggles.
While he won’t confirm or deny if he’s dating someone from the show, he knows exactly what he wants in a partner.
“I think the biggest thing is personality. I like someone that’s compassionate and cares about other people,” he notes of his non-negotiables.
Adding he wants “someone who’s spontaneous and wholeheartedly puts themselves into any situation.”
“Someone who is just positive and doesn’t talk crap about other people. They love putting 100% in and love having fun!”
WATCH: Apollo Jackson shows off his magic tricks. Post continues…
When it comes to making a reality TV romance work in the real world, the singer says it’s all about making the effort.
“The biggest thing is you’ve got to have realistic expectations and you have to be willing to work at things,” he says.
“I think definitely on shows, when you’re going on these immaculate dates and everything like that, it does set a pretty high standard and you’ve just got to work through those times. There’s going to be arguments and disagreements.”
“There’s going to be days when you’re grumpy and hangry, but if things are going to work you have to put the effort in every day, you’ve got to choose the love.”
Learning from The Bachelorette
After he hit it off with Sophie Monk, the pair’s 13-year age gap was ultimately their undoing.
This time around, Apollo has gone into BIP with his cards on the table.
“I came in looking for the same things I was looking for in The Bachelorette. Sophie and I got along on so many different levels, the only dynamic was the age.”
“I’m not ready for kids and I’m pretty open about that now. I want to meet someone, get married and travel first. I think other people know that too watching the breadstick moment, this guy is not wanting to have kids in the next six months!”
“I hope she’s doing well!”
“And that’s open on the table, it’s out there! I’m being more honest from the get-go about the whole five-year plan.”
Apollo hasn’t reached out to Sophie Monk since her split from Bachelorette winner Stu Laundy but he has nothing but love for the Love Island host.
“I hope she’s doing well. There’s no hard feelings and she’s an amazing person, she’s super cool.”
The reality star is in no rush to start a family but would love to get married and go travelling. (Image/Johnny Bigg)
The Honey Badgerlor
Despite Apollo’s name being in the mix as a rumoured Bachelor front-runner last year, the title has gone to rugby union star Nick “The Honey Bagder” Cummins.
“The Honey Badger will be unbelievable. He’s a legend of a dude,” Apollo gushes of the incoming Bachie babe.
“I think for entertainment, the Honey Badger would make an awesome Bachelor.”
Nick Cummins is the 2018 Bachelor star.
From magic to music
Somewhere in between all the madness of his hectic schedule, Apollo has managed to work on an album called Altar Your Reality, which he says will be dropping imminently.
“I’ve been doing music my whole life and I’m working on an album. You’ll see over the next eight weeks, there’ll be some releases.”
Sweet beats! Apollo is about to drop an album called Altar Your Reality. (Image/Johnny Bigg)
