Bachelor’s Clayton ‘Never Claimed to Be a Saint’ Amid Rumors About His Past

Clearing the air! Clayton Echard‘s introduction because the Bachelor was met with combined reactions — however the season 26 lead isn’t afraid to set the document straight about his previous.

The 28-year-old Missouri native opened up about how he’s “nonetheless making an attempt to determine” the place he matches throughout the Bachelor Nation franchise, telling Becca Kufrin and Serena Pitt on the Tuesday, January 18, episode of “Bachelor Glad Hour” that he doesn’t “wish to say one thing that may be misinterpreted.” Nonetheless, when it got here to rumors about his relationship historical past, Clayton didn’t hesitate to get candid.

“So far as addressing what I’ve seen on-line, yeah, I’ve seen a variety of these TikToks which have come up as of these days relating to my previous, you understand, or the relationships that I had previously,” the ex-NFL participant started. “Hear, right here’s the factor, I by no means claimed to be some saint, per se, or celibate for the final six years of my single life. Like, I used to be single and I loved that singleness. There was a interval of my life the place, yeah, I wasn’t searching for something severe, and I used to be simply having enjoyable and having fun with that side of [dating]. … It’s what it’s.”

Followers of the ABC actuality collection have been buzzing earlier this month when a TikTok consumer claimed that he as soon as walked in on his girlfriend allegedly hooking up with Clayton, who beforehand appeared on Michelle Younger‘s season of The Bachelorette. The previous Seattle Seahawks star mentioned on Tuesday that he doesn’t “perceive a complete lot of why individuals convey up” issues which will or could not have occurred previously.

“I believe all of us went via this [phase] — and perhaps some individuals greater than others — however … yeah, I went out and dated and had my enjoyable,” the tight finish defined, noting that issues “got here to a head” when he celebrated his twenty eighth birthday. “I noticed that I used to be doing the identical issues. I hadn’t modified [in] my relationship life, per se, I hadn’t modified my work. Every part was sort of stagnant and I felt like I used to be going via the motions, and I noticed, like, ‘It’s essential begin making adjustments to see change.’”

Clayton tried to convey that mindset into his seek for love, recognizing that he couldn’t “preserve happening this path of simply sort of loosely relationship, as a result of that’s not going to convey me the happiness that I’m searching for.” As a substitute of informal relationships, the athlete needed to seek out “one other particular person in my life that I can get up [next] to day by day.”

The season 18 Bachelorette alum claimed that the hypothesis about his romantic adventures was “completely ridiculous,” arguing that he’s seen issues on-line which might be merely “not factual” — together with the aforementioned viral TikTok, which has since been deleted.

“The man mentioned, ‘I walked in on him with my girlfriend,’ and like, I don’t even know who this man is,” Clayton continued. “Or somebody mentioned, like, ‘I dated him for 5 years.’ I used to be like, ‘How will you say you dated me for 5 years, like, the place is the proof?’ … I simply need individuals to know, like, I didn’t declare to be this man who simply didn’t date round or was simply in a gap for the final 5 [or] six years. I went and had my enjoyable … however that clearly transitioned after I hit my twenty eighth birthday this 12 months and realized I began needing to make some adjustments.”

Clayton started his Bachelor journey earlier this month and his season has already been filled with drama. In teasers for the remaining episodes, the College of Missouri alum is seen telling a number of girls he loves them, which ended up instructing him a serious lesson.

“I bear in mind the primary day I went in, I mentioned, ‘I cannot fall in love with a number of individuals.’ And, like, I used to be so severe about it. After which the journey started, and I used to be simply battling with it mentally. I’m like, ‘No, no, there’s no manner,’” he informed Us Weekly solely forward of his season premiere, joking that he “not” speaks in absolute phrases.

He continued: “Sooner or later it hit me, and I used to be like, ‘I’m in, you understand, [I’m] falling in love with a number of girls.’ And I sort of began laughing in disbelief. I don’t know if it was a nervous — I believe it was a nervous snigger. However you understand what, I noticed, like, ‘You possibly can’t combat these emotions, you need to enable them to return out.’”

With the final episode ending on a cliffhanger as Clayton considers taking again a gaggle date rose from one of many girls, host Jesse Palmer teased what to anticipate shifting ahead.

“One factor individuals have to find out about Clayton’s season, basically, is that on The Bachelor, there simply are not any guidelines, and Clayton is prepared to do no matter it takes to seek out his particular person,” he informed Us on Tuesday. “He’s gonna take dangers. He’s gonna take probabilities.”

The Bachelor airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.

Supply: US Journal