Was Katie Thurston sexually assaulted? 'The Bachelorette' star reveals painful story
Bachelor Nation fans would have never expected to see what they saw on 'The Bachelorette' Episode 3. The extreme sex-positivity and confidence that Katie Thurston had displayed first on 'The Bachelor' and now on her own season that she's leading has come after paying a huge price. Thurston opened up to her fans about the time someone violated her ten years ago and the pain from all those years ago is still fresh in her memory which influenced how she lives her life now.
It all started after Karl Smith planted insecurities in Thurston's mind that not all men were on the show for the right reasons. Mike Planeta stepped up to assure her that Smith might not have been telling the truth. After all the drama-laden rose ceremony where she sent Smith, John Hersey, and a couple of other men home it was time for Thurston to dig deeper into the intentions of the rest of the men.
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'The Bachelorette': Katie Thurston's group date makes fans cringe with 'sex talk'
Nick Viall made an appearance on the show to help Thurston figure out her suitors. In the first of its kind date on 'The Bachelorette', the men sat around in a circle - support group style - in order to open up about any incidents from the past that they aren't proud of and have grown from it to become a better person. There were quite a few revelations that came out from this date and Thurston was convinced at the time that everyone present in the room was there for the right reasons.
Hearing everything the men had to say, Thurston decided to open up to them and spoke about an unpleasant incident that she had never told anyone about, not even her mom. Thurston told the men that a couple of years ago she had an unhealthy relationship with sex because she was violated by someone while she was drunk. She tried to form a relationship with the person who caused her all that hurt and at the same time kept blaming herself for everything that happened to her. It was much later that she finally came to terms with the fact that she shares no blame for what happened and consent is important.
Hearing Thurston speak about her being sexually assaulted gave a lot of fans the courage to talk about their experiences. "Katie openly talking about her SA made me openly acknowledge that I was sexually assaulted in college 12 years ago. I did not give consent but I was not forceful in telling him to stop. Felt it was on me for so long because I only said to stop once. #thebachelorette" a fan tweeted. "As someone who also was in a relationship with the person who sexually assaulted me, and developed an unhealthy relationship with sex as a result, I feel profoundly seen and understood by @katiethurston. Thank you so much for your vulnerability and openness #TheBachelorette" another fan tweeted. "Katie's confession that she was sexually assaulted is very brave, but I hope the show made sure she had the support she needed afterwords. #TheBachelorette" another fan tweeted.
Katie openly talking about her SA made me openly acknowledge that I was sexually assaulted in college 12 years ago. I did not give consent but I was not forceful in telling him to stop. Felt it was on me for so long because I only said to stop once. #thebachelorette
— Rachelle Chapman 📎 (@FollowRachelle) June 22, 2021
As someone who also was in a relationship with the person who sexually assaulted me, and developed an unhealthy relationship with sex as a result, I feel profoundly seen and understood by @katiethurston. Thank you so much for your vulnerability and openness #TheBachelorette
— #1 better man enthusiast (@helmsinki) June 22, 2021
Katie's confession that she was sexually assaulted is very brave, but I hope the show made sure she had the support she needed afterwords. #TheBachelorette
— Sarah Sahagian (@sarahsahagian) June 22, 2021
'The Bachelorette' airs Mondays at 8 pm ET on ABC