Strumming to the sounds of his own ukulele, star of The Bachelor in 2018, Nick Cummins, shocked the country by choosing to remain single on the show’s finale on October 4.
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Millions of people around Australia tuned in to see whether it would be fan favourite and Port Macquarie’s own, Brittany Hockley or Sophie Tieman who captured the former rugby player’s heart.
However, never in the history of the show has there been no winner.
From the beginning our local lady was the favourite but she said now that all is said and done, she still has no regrets.
“There was so much speculation from early on that it was me (who won) and that was really hard to deal with and keep a secret,” Brittany said.
“Everyone in my life was so sure that I was going to have this happy ending when really I had a broken heart but I still had to pretend that I was happy and in love.
“Honestly I can’t even begin to tell you the relief I feel today. There was such a big build up to the finale and I just had to keep my head down and keep positive.
“I had people keep saying to me ‘you are so happy I know you won’ but I am just a positive person so whatever was going to happen I would have been positive through the whole process.”
Brittany said throughout the show the women were there to find love so the finale ending was a blindside.
“Sophie and I definitely didn’t see it coming. All along we thought it was going to be one of us and it never crossed our minds to think it would be neither,” she said.
“We didn’t get a heads up like some people but what can you do? When he said it wasn’t me I still didn’t understand in that moment that it wasn’t Sophie either.
“When I got back in the car that is when the realisation hit. They told me Sophie didn’t know and then all I could think was get me to Sophie immediately.
“Very quickly it then became about Sophie and I and Nick went to the back of my mind. All I could think about was her broken heart and making sure she was okay.”
She said that being able to go through the experience with Sophie has made it more bearable.
“From day one, the two of us and Cass hit it off really well and to have Sophie there and be able to go through it with her is really what got us both through.
“We were both so invested and there is so much you don’t see, unfortunately, but there was a reason we were both there at the end and we did have a really strong connection with Nick.
“But to have her there at the end after what had happened really was the happy ending – it is its own love story.”
During the finale and after reuniting with Sophie, Brittany said “it’s his (Nick’s) loss” and she still stands by that.
“When I walked in and saw Sophie I said how on earth did he not pick you. She is such a beautiful human and she looked breathtaking.
“I just kept thinking what an idiot. I just couldn’t understand any of it. Between what Nick and I had and Sophie the goddess I couldn’t, and still can’t understand, how he couldn’t pick someone.
“You feel this responsibility because Australia gets invested in the show and you want them to enjoy the journey but we really didn’t see it coming.”
What is next for Brittany? She said she is taking it one day at a time and is still open to finding love.
“I am forever the optimist and I certainly don’t have any regrets so I can only think that some good will come from the whole experience.
“There is something positive to take from every experience. I learnt a lot about myself and I ended up with some great friends and regardless of what happened we had so much fun. Us girls laughed the whole way through.
“It was so hard to have people question the authenticity of our friendship in the house but in the end this was the best outcome and it is so nice now for people to understand why we are all so close.
“Today is day one of being free and having this weight off my shoulders so I am going to get myself in a good place and see what will come.
“I won’t settle for something I don’t think is worth it but I am definitely still open to finding love and anything can happen.”