Colton Underwood said his time on The Bachelor was a form of “self-conversion therapy” to try “to be straight”.
The 30-year-old appeared on the 23rd season of the show before coming out as gay in April 2021.
Since The Bachelor’s debut in 2002, it has continuously focused on a single male bachelor who is expected to find a wife from a pool of romantic interests.
“Instagram was my way to look without being caught,” he recently told Andy Cohen during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live.
He explained that social media platforms such as Instagram and Grindr were a way of exploring his sexual identity before being comfortable enough to come out.
Colton added: “All of the cover-ups and praying, and trying self-conversion therapy on myself by becoming The Bachelor, so I’ve pretty much tried everything to be straight, and it didn’t work and I would rather, I just love being gay now!”
He recently got engaged to his partner Jordan C. Brown after the two first started dating last summer.
Both he and his partner, who works as a political strategist, took to social media to celebrate the momentous occasion, with Jordan posting an image of the two popping a bottle.
“The only time in my life I’m ok with wasting a bottle of champagne,” he wrote on 28 February. “I love you babe.”
Colton went Instagram official with Jordan in a series of Instagram stories on 4 December, marking the first time he had shared images with his lover after rumours of their relationship first began several months earlier.
You can watch Colton’s full interview with Andy Cohen below or by clicking here.
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