'The Bachelor' star Colton Underwood thought he was gay after he was bullied for being overweight

'The Bachelor' star Colton Underwood has penned a tell-all memoir in which he opens up about the struggles he faced regarding his sexual orientation in his growing up years.

In an interview with People, Underwood speaks about his growing up years that were marred with him constantly second-guessing his sexual orientation where he was often left wondering if he was interested in men. He recalls searching "Am I gay?" on the Internet on more than one occasion.

"I didn't know who I was," he says. "And I come from an athletic family, so it was always, ‘Move on, you're good.' So that threw me off." Underwood went through all this alone because he was not comfortable talking to his parents about it.

Underwood was also plagued with constant bullying at a very young age for his weight. He shares, "I was called fatso, four eyes and four lips because I used to lick my lips, so I would constantly have a red ring around them... I was a little heavy, and that, combined with being socially awkward, led to a really hard time." 

Later on, Underwood got himself highly involved in athletics and also became the captain of the football team. He had dropped all the pounds by then but all that coupled with his star sportsman status did little to nothing for him and the bullying continued. He refused to conform to the lifestyle of a high school sportsman which meant he didn't drink and abstained from sex, leading to rumors of him being gay doing the rounds.

This took a toll on Underwood who started to wonder if there was some truth in what people were saying about him. "It was one of those things where you hear something so often, you start believing it," he says. "I thought, maybe I am gay. The captain of the football team should be having sex and drinking, right? But I wasn't."

He didn't allow the rumors to get to him and continued life with his Christian values even after college, maintaining his virginity even after he began dating Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman. The couple went their separate ways eventually, after which Colton signed up to be on 'The Bachelorette' where he was one of the men vying for Becca Kufrin's attention and affection. His time on that show landed him the offer to be a frontman on 'The Bachelor' with full emphasis on his virgin lifestyle that season. 

Even after all this, he admits that he still battled with the gay rumors. "They'd say, ‘he's gay, he's hiding it.' No. But I've been there, done that now," Underwood insists.

Underwood has moved ahead from all that, confirming that he's found someone he really wants to be with. The lady in question is Cassie Randolph, the girl he climbed a fence for in the 23rd season of 'The Bachelor'.

Cassie is also taking care of him right now after his coronavirus diagnosis and both of them are spending time together at the former's parents' house. "Cassie runs me food, water and medicine, she's been amazing... If I wasn't here with Cassie and her family, it wouldn't be good," he said while updating his fans about his condition over social media. 

Underwood's book 'The First Time' will be available for purchase on March 31, 2020.