The Bachelorette’s Jamie-Lee On Her Sliding Doors Moment With Brooke
For Jamie-Lee Dayz, showing up to win Brooke Blurton’s heart on The Bachelorette was a chance to put herself out there and see if the two could get past their ‘sliding doors’ moment.
Meeting on the Honey Badger’s season of The Bachelor in 2018, the two maintained a friendship over the years, harbouring an attraction to each other but life and other relationships got in the way.
It seemed like a story too good to be true: both single, both looking for love, and Jamie-Lee took a chance and decided to go on The Bachelorette to put her feelings out there for her friend Brooke, knowing it’d be a risk to the friendship they had cultivated.
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From their first night premiere kiss, to breaking world records, to the drama that happened with Ryan, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Jamie-Lee and Brooke, but Jamie-Lee is still holding The Bachelorette experience close to heart and couldn’t be happier for Brooke and winner Darvid Garayeli.
We spoke to Jamie-Lee about her time on The Bachelorette and how she’s feeling post-finale.
For Brooke this connection just wasn't meant to be. #BacheloretteAU pic.twitter.com/ViivEWX7Rq
— #BacheloretteAU (@BacheloretteAU) November 25, 2021
On watching the finale back:
“It was so weird watching it back and reliving those emotions, but I’m happy it’s over and done with and I can live my life now and I think everything happens for a reason.
I think the moment I saw her, I could see on her face the way things were going. Brooke and I have that base friendship and sometimes we didn’t really need words to talk and I think that was very evident in that last moment. I knew pretty quickly and it was hard hearing those words but I wanted her to be happy. And she found love! And it is a really beautiful love with Darvid, so I completely understand why she chose him.”
On being taken to the finale:
“I think I was taken to the finale because there was a chance it could’ve been me. I think Brooke had a really difficult decision to make and I understand why she chose Darvid. I think it was really beautiful that we had that chance and we had that strong connection. I don’t think it was an easy decision for her, which is why I think she made it in those last couple of days.
In those last couple of days you could see their connection was growing and ours wasn’t, so I think things happened the way they should have.”
On whether she’s spoken to Brooke since the finale:
“We’ve sent a few text messages here and there, and Darv[id] has also sent me some messages. We’re all on good terms. I’m so grateful for that. And I’m grateful for the mutual respect that has been with us from the beginning.
I wouldn’t say we’re best friends or anything. We’ll always have that base of friendship, I don’t think we’re going out for dinner anytime soon. It’s been really nice to have those messages here and there and every time there’s been a difficult episode, she’s sent me a message saying ‘I’m thinking of you, I hope you’re doing well’ and I think that’s exactly how it should be.”
On the whole Ryan debacle:
“Look, that was a very traumatic time! I’m still good friends with Ryan and there was so much happening. We’re all good friends and I think in those settings, feelings can be heightened, and it happened how it was meant to happen.
I think Brooke towards the end could see I had nothing to do with that. If you put however many people inside a mansion together, both men and women, there’ll always be rumours going around. Whether there’s truth to them or not I don’t think anyone will ever know, but I think that it was bound to happen. I’m a little annoyed I was in the centre of it but it is what it is!”
On whether she’s found love outside of the mansion:
“I am 100% single and I am hoping that anyone who saw last night’s episode, any eligible Bachelor or Bachelorettes, know where my Instagram is at, slide into my DMs, I am so single it hurts!”