Just hours after Konrad Bien-Stephens confirmed he and former Bachelor star Abbie Chatfield are an item, the 31-year-old spilled the beans to TV WEEK about how that whole romance got started.
“Meeting her was totally random,” Konrad tells us over the phone, revealing that a mutual friend introduced them.
“When I met her, we got along like a house on fire. We have talked since then about the whole [Bachelor/ette] experience, but at first it was really just that I thought she was rad. We got along so well.”
Konrad was a fan favourite on the latest season of The Bachelorette.
(Instagram)Having been on the show herself, Abbie knows exactly what Konrad would have experienced in the Bachelorette mansion and he admits it has been nice to chat through that with her.
But the 31-year-old insists that even if he’d never gone on the show, there still would have been something between him and Abbie.
“I guess if I hadn’t have done it [The Bachelorette] and I had the opportunity to meet her, I think it would’ve gone the same way anyway,” he says.
Before anyone can start speculating about the timeline of their romance, Konrad reminds us that filming on Brooke Blurton’s season of The Bachelorette wrapped “a while” before he even met Abbie.
Konrad says the spark between him and Abbie would’ve been there even if he hadn’t been on The Bachelorette.
(Instagram)He made it to the final four contestants before Brooke sent him home in a tearful rose ceremony, citing their different plans for the future as the reason the relationship wouldn’t work.
Though Konrad has a new love in his life now, he admits that it was devastating to say goodbye to Brooke – but he knows she made the right choice.
“I think she did the right thing by me. I don’t know how I would’ve handled it if I was in the finale [and didn’t win]. I’d probably be still nursing a broken heart,” he says.
“I wasn’t chosen, but it doesn’t make me less of a person. I still value myself, but really it was about Brooke. It’s about her finding the right person for her… I really want her to be happy.”
As for what he thinks of the final three contestants – Darvid, Holly and Jamie-Lee – Konrad says they’re “beautiful people” and he doesn’t envy the decision Brooke has ahead of her.
Having been through his fair deal of heartbreak, both on the show and in past relationships, Konrad knows how much it can affect you.
But his priority was always to be his authentic self and the carpenter says he has no regrets when it comes to his time in the Bachelorette mansion.
“Everything happens for a reason and I had a great experience, so I wouldn’t take anything back or change it,” he adds.
It turns out that staying true to his own unique character was a massive win for Konrad, who became a total fan favourite and social media darling during his time on the show.
People around Australia have praised him for his creative spirit and how respectful he always was of Brooke, sharing an outpouring of love that was “really nice to see”.
Konrad admits he was worried about how the public would perceive him given he’s “a bit different”, but it’s been great seeing how being himself really resonated with viewers.
As for his plans for the future, he’ll be heading to the Gold Coast next year to work on some business ideas and setting up some charity events with fellow Bachelorette alum Kurt Herzog.
In the romance department, Konrad admits he’s not going to jump into anything super serious right away, but he’s eager to see how things progress with Abbie.
“As much as I’m super grateful to have met Brooke – Abbie, what can I say? She’s an amazing girl and I’m excited to see what the future holds,” he says.
When it comes to Konrad’s relationship with Brooke, it may be well and truly over but he still hopes she gets her happy ending.
“She deserves the world and more, so I really do hope it ends a fairy tale.”
For more on Brooke’s groundbreaking season of The Bachelorette, check out these stories
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Meet the whole cast of The Bachelorette 2021
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Meet the guys and girls Brooke Blurton dated before becoming our 2021 Bachelorette
The truth behind Brooke Blurton’s tumultuous childhood
EXCLUSIVE: Why Brooke was ‘petrified’ to be the first openly bisexual and Indigenous Bachelorette
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