It was the heartwarming love story that played out quietly and oh so sweetly in the background.
And despite all the chaos of the partner-swapping and drama on Bachelor in Paradise, Nina Rolleston and Eden Schwencke appeared to be the one constant couple we could count on to prove reality TV romances can work.
But as a “heartbroken and blind-sided” Nina reveals in this exclusive exit chat, no one was more surprised than her when Eden decided to give his rose to Elora Murger in tonight’s emotional rose ceremony…
Nina Rolleston, 30
Nina, fans will be devastated to see you go tonight. Can you talk us through what the hell happened?
I’m devastated so I can’t just image what people are going to think. Look, it was completely heartbreaking to be honest with you.
I found myself in a position where I had to choose between Daniel and Eden and I really took a lot of time to evaluate who I could see a relationship with outside of Paradise and who I wanted to be in my long-term future.
I made that decision and I really thought that person would be Eden. To have spent so much time with somebody and getting to know him on a deeper level and then to have an ultimatum given to you about intimacy it was just really, really heartbreaking. I just felt completely blind-sided by him.
That’s so brutal Nina! Can you tell us more about Eden’s ultimatum?
I made it really clear from the beginning that for me, when it comes to intimacy and kissing that I wanted to wait until the very end to see if there was someone I could see a future with outside of Paradise.
If I was standing there with someone by my side that was someone I wanted to be with, then that’s who I would share my first kiss with. Eden really respected that and he never put any pressure on me to break that rule and then all of a sudden he gave me an ultimatum to, take that next step with intimacy or I’d be sent home.
So did Elora and Eden hit it off or did he just decide to give her his rose on a whim?
I don’t think they hit it off. I saw them have a conversation and that would probably be one of the only conversations I saw him have with her.
I’m not sure how it slipped from him and I having these incredible couple of weeks together to this woman coming in and all of a sudden I’m getting handed ultimatums. It’s really quite heartbreaking.
Eden, what were you thinking?!
What did you say to Eden in those moments after you didn’t’ receive a rose?
There was lots of hugs and kisses coming from the girls and I think Eden rushed over to say something to me but to be brutally honest, that’s the last person I wanted to speak to.
I remember saying to him “I have nothing to say to you.” And I just walked past and gave a hug to the guys who had really supported me but he was definitely the last person I wanted to speak to.
To us as a viewer, it looked like a love story was playing out. Did it feel like you were in the early throes of a love story as well?
100%! I genuinely thought that what we had was real and the conversations that we had, we spoke for hours and hours, and days on end… I genuinely thought this was incredible and someone I could be with outside of Paradise. I definitely thought that it was the beginning of something special.
Are you in touch with Eden now?
It took us quite a few months after filming to get in contact and to be honest, I think for me it’s really hard speaking to him. I just get so emotional and it brings back everything. It makes me feel like I’m not good enough for him and that someone could come in and just take that all away within a day or two… it’s just really hard to take.
We have made some contact but we’re certainly not in regular contact with each other.
Do you know if he’s still single or if he ended up with someone on the show?
I don’t know and I’m not going to be asking the question because it won’t be easy for me to hear the answer.
“I just felt completely blind-sided by him,” a shattered Nina tells us.
What about you, have you met anyone since leaving the island?
I haven’t unfortunately so I’m very excited about my first single weekend this weekend and being able to go out and meet some new people.
I’m really looking forward to being able to get back out there and give myself to somebody who deserves it.
How do you feel about Daniel now you’ve watched those episodes back?
That was such a hard episode to watch. I spent most of that episode in tears and many abusive text messages were sent to Daniel. I probably know Daniel better than anybody in Paradise.
Our single date ended up in an emergency evacuation because of the weather. It took about four to six hours to evacuate that property that we were stuck on. It was actually quite serious! All that time was off camera and I just got to see the real Daniel and he’s such a beautiful person and we connected on so many levels.
Seeing those comments and conversations that he had with other people really affected me. We spoke for probably three or four hours dissecting that and we really do have an incredible level of respect for each other.
I think a lot of the stuff that he says is taken out of context and his humour is quite hard to read and I don’t think it comes across on camera the way it’s actually said. It was very, very hard to watch it but I do feel like the person I met in Paradise is still a really beautiful man.
Intruder Daniel really tested Eden and Nina but in the end, Nina followed her heart and picked Eden.
You’re looking fantastic. What are your health and fitness tips?
I never have dieted. For me, it just comes down to daily activity and whether it’s a Pilates class, or a game of netball, or climbing a mountain or going for a run, I make sure I do something every single day. It not only keeps my mind healthy because I have that form of stress release and a little bit of Me Time.
In regards to my dramatic weight loss, it just started dropping off me once I started moving my body. I haven’t been to a gym in four or five years, so I’m not slaving at the gym five hours a day. I’m just moving my body and really accepting me for who I am and all of a sudden your body starts reacting to a bit of self-love.
How have you been mending your broken heart?
I think I’ve taken this time to really process it. I try and remove myself from the situation and see what I could have done differently.
And of course surrounding myself with some really beautiful friends who have been so supportive throughout this whole process.
I’m sure one day there’ll be a really amazing man who sees what they all see.
What’s next for you?
Hopefully meeting someone really amazing! I’ve met some incredible friends in this process. Beautiful Tara is coming this weekend to have a girly weekend for my first single lady weekend out. I really just want to concentrate on my friendships and my career.
Hopefully when those stars align, someone will walk into my life and complete it.
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The 30-year-old hopes her next big love is right around the corner.
