She’s fallen head over heels in love with Richie Strahan in this season of The Bachelor but despite her strong feelings for the handsome rope technician, the 24-year-old still shares a solid friendship with her most recent ex, Tom Barbour.
However a local publication recently claimed Alex dumped Tom so she could go on the dating show.
“They were happy and, as far as he could see, nothing had changed, so he was really blindsided when Alex said she wanted it all to end,” an insider alleged.
The report also claimed Alex made a deal with producers which ensured her a place in the final five.
However according to Tom, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I care very deeply for Alex and that’s why we are still great friends,” Tom tells Woman’s Day. “We always will be.”
“She deserves the world and to be happy. I want nothing but the best for her and for whoever she ends up with in life!”
Tom insists he and Alex are still on great terms.
The wheelchair-bound student, who suffered debilitating injuries after he fell from a construction site when he was 18, says they called time on their relationship when they realised how different their priorities were.
“I am still studying and that is my main focus and often I would get so immersed in my studies that I would have no time for both Alex and her little boy which was not fair,” Tom reflects of trying to make time for Alex and her son Elijah from a previous relationship.
“I felt that at our current stages in life we were at different levels and that our paths were diverging in different directions,” he adds.
WATCH: The moment Alex tells Richie she’s falling in love with him. Post continues after the video!
In fact, it was Tom who broke up with Alex. “I made a decision to call off the relationship,” he says.
Tom also reveals the “mental side” of his injury means he would “put up a wall” which would leave him “distant and numb” to his loved ones.
Despite the challenges of his personal battles, Alex’s love was unrelenting during their romance.
“Alex loved me for me and everything that came with me. However since my accident, I have never been fully accepting of myself nor happy within myself,” he explains.
The pair, who dated on and off for 15 months, are in the same friendship circle and still catch up.
“Alex and I were not a normal relationship, she has a young child and I am in a wheelchair.”
“We were not a standard couple and this brought different complexities into our relationship that many other couples didn’t have. This presented different challenges, most of which we adapted to and embraced.”
“She was my rock and my person I could always open up to when I was struggling. She was my best friend, she is my best friend still,” the 23-year-old admits.
WATCH: Alex tells Richie about her son Elijah. Post continues after the video!
As the nation awaits The Bachelor finale this week, Tom is rooting for the girl he used to share a life with.
“I hope that Alex finds what she is looking for and that whatever comes from the show is positive!”
“I am happy she has taken this opportunity, because you really don’t know what’s around the corner in life.”
“We are still the best of friends and get along very well and support one another,” he says.
Alex has been one of the front-runners to win Richie’s heart since the start of the season.
