Trigger warning: This article discusses suicide and may be triggering for some readers. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following article contains images of people who have died.
When most people picture Brooke Blurton, they see the sparkling grin that won hearts Aussie hearts across from the moment she stepped onto the Bachelor red carpet in 2018.
But the 27-year-old proud Noongar-Yamatji woman hasn’t been without her struggles.
Born to an Aboriginal- Malaysian mother and an English father, Brooke grew up in a country town in Carnarvon, Western Australia until her mother died by suicide when she was 11.
Brooke Blurton (bottom right) as a child with her family in Western Australia.
(Image: Instagram)The tragedy had a profound impact on Brooke and her upbringing, as she bounced from one home to another through her teen years.
In a recent episode of her new podcast Not So PG, Brooke got candid on what it was like to grow up in foster care and how her childhood still impacts her today.
“So my childhood wasn’t very… quite nonconventional,” she told co-host Matty Mills.
“I didn’t have mum, dad, sister, brother growing up, right. I grew up in foster [care]. I grew up with a mum who had addiction problems. And basically, you know, I have my family together at a young age, and I was still doing it up until my mother passed away. And it’s been hard.”
Brooke said a big part of her childhood was “navigating life independently” and acting as a mother figure to her younger brothers.
“I didn’t have mum and dad just telling me what was right and what was wrong.”
(Image: Instagram)“I didn’t have mum and dad just telling me what was right and what was wrong. I had to basically navigate the whole entirety of my life, just me and then also guide my brothers into their lives,” she said.
“So I’ve only just released that pressure of having to look after my brothers, my youngest brother is now 18, he is now a grown adult, and I’ve released myself of that pressure of making sure that he’s okay. And he’s got everything because, well, now he’s an adult and I can let go.
“I’ve been a mother since I was about nine years old practically. And I think a lot of people don’t know that.”
In March, Brooke told Now To Love exclusively that she, like many First Nations Australians who grew up in poverty, once struggled with her confidence.
“I didn’t always have the greatest hygiene growing up, so it’s been a conscious effort for me as an adult, especially being on TV and being in the media,” she said.
Sadly, her story isn’t all that uncommon and many children who experience instability, trauma or poverty growing up don’t have the same access or education when it comes to dental hygiene.
“A lot of people don’t have access to normal day-to-day dental hygiene products, just toothbrushes or just toothpaste,” Brooke said.
“And I fell into that category once upon a time, growing up in poverty. I feel very lucky now having it so easily accessible, but I don’t take that for granted.
“People don’t realise that it [lack of access to dental hygiene] can deter someone’s confidence. If they’re not feeling confident about their hygiene, they’re not really feeling confident about their smile.”
Now a proud bisexual woman and the nation’s first openly queer Bachelorette, Brooke didn’t always have the confidence to celebrate herself freely.
Brooke was a mother figure to her younger brothers.
(Image: Instagram)Though she’s become an unofficial queer icon here in Australia – a title she says feels “surreal” – the 27-year-old admitted she also struggled with self-acceptance in the past, an experience so many LGBTQ+ Aussies can identify with.
Years after she first shared her sexuality with Nick Cummins – and the world – on The Bachelor, Brooke is more confident in her identity than ever and credits her ability to find the positives in any situation.
“I’ve grown so much since that scene on The Bachelor. For me that was just a huge pivotal moment in sort of owning who I am,” she says.
“Throughout those ups and downs with reality TV, my childhood, growing up, coming to terms with sexuality, I’ve always been a very positive person.”
As for her advice to other LGBTQ+ Australians who may be questioning themselves, their identities or their confidence, Brooke urged them to find ways to love themselves even when they feel isolated.
Brooke is encouraging other LGBTQ+ people in Australia to find their own inner confidence.
(Image: Instagram)“I always think back to my younger self and like, ‘what would my younger self need in a time like this?'” she said.
“A lot of people feel alone at different points in their life. And I just want share that you’re not alone in any way. There’s always someone there for you.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
