Florence Says She "Felt at Peace" When Matty Didn't Give Her a Rose
Hometown dates have come and gone on
The Bachelor, and as terrifying and awkward as they may be, they're a great eye-opener as to whether the relationship is going to work out IRL. After meeting the families of Tara, Florence, Laura and Elise on Thursday night, Matty chose to let Florence go. It was a cool, calm and collected departure as far as
Bachelor exits go at this stage of the show — without any waterworks from the 28-year-old. In fact, Florence told us it actually felt very right to leave at that point.
POPSUGAR Australia: We are sad to see you leave!
Florence: Aww, thank you! I appreciate that, but don't be sad, because I wasn't too upset.
PS: How come?
Florence: I think when he sent me home, it felt right. I didn't realise it before it actually happened, because I really liked him — he's a champion, he's amazing — but I wasn't in love at that point, and that made me feel quite anxious. It was so close to the end, and when he didn't give me the rose, I felt at peace! I didn't cry, and it just felt right, and sometimes that's what you need — someone else to make a decision for you. I don't think we were ever meant to be, so it's all good.
PS: Did you feel like if you'd stayed longer, that you should have been in love with him?
Florence: Yeah, that was something that I was struggling with, because I need time for that. I really liked him, I think I could've developed it, but is that something you want to develop? You just want love to hit you — meet someone and be like, oh my god, I'm feeling butterflies and my whole body is like a roller-coaster and it's crazy what's happening to me — rather than developing feelings and focusing on developing feelings. That's why I think it wasn't meant to be. I definitely would've felt a bit forced to feel that way about him, so I think he made a good decision.
PS: How do you feel your hometown date went?
Florence: I liked it! It was really good to see my friends again, but I noticed they were like, "This is not it, Florence. You're holding back and we don't see it from your side." So it was also a bit of an eye-opener, but other than that, I really liked it — it was a lot of fun.
PS: Yeah, sometimes you need someone else on the outside to give you clarity.
Florence: Yeah, they gave me one look and they were like, "You're holding back." I was like, "No I'm not, I really like him." [My friend] just gave me this look, like, mmm. That was it, and then I started thinking, maybe she's right. I was the first person to do home visits, so I was by myself for a week in an apartment in Sydney and it gave me a lot of time to think.
PS: What do you think about the top three?
Florence: I think it's going to be a hard decision for him to make. But it's not a competition — it's all about love. I think all three of them are amazing.
PS: Who do you think has the strongest connection with him?
Florence: It's so hard to tell! But if you were to ask me who were to win, my money is on
Elise. But
Laura and Tara are strong contenders as well. I can see the chemistry between him and Tara, and Laura is just so beautiful and so intelligent, and so is Elise, so it's hard! I don't know, I just don't know! [Laughs] I would pick all three if I were him, but you can't really do that, can you?!
PS: Do you have any highlights from your time on the show?
Florence: It was just such an amazing experience in general. Living with the girls, waking up and going to the TV room, sitting there in your pyjamas watching Netflix, making breakfast for each other, all the dates with Matty, being part of such a big production . . . I loved every second of it.
Loved it.
PS: Would you do it again?
Florence: Not to find love, but I would definitely do television again. It's just so exciting and like I said, I loved every second of it. To see the producers do their jobs and see how it all goes, that was fascinating. But I wouldn't go on another show to find love, I might just find someone along the way! [Laughs]
PS: Did you ever feel bad cheating on that date?
Florence: No, sorry! [Laughs] It seemed a bit worse than it was on TV, of course. When I ran over to the finish line, I said, "Don't get excited Matty, I cheated", so he already knew before I confessed. We had a laugh, and then I told Elora and Simone and we also had a laugh. It was funny and playful, I thought they would disqualify me and the runner-up would win, but they didn't. We were making television, and all is fair in love and war, and I was happy to get the extra time with Matty. They also didn't give out any rules to play the game, so technically I didn't do anything wrong.
PS: What surprised you about being on the show?
Florence: That you can form real friendships. Every time I see one of the girls, it feels like seeing a sister. It's amazing, seriously, they make me so happy. When I meet up with Lisa, Elise, Simone or Laura, I'm pumped to see them — it's just such a strong connection. I think we all did find love — it sounds really cheesy and cliché, but you find friends for life. It did surprise me that you can develop real friendships on a show like that.
PS: Where are you at with finding love now?
Florence: Well, I'm not heartbroken, so I'm still open to it. I'm just really, really picky and I'm not a serial dater. I know when I meet someone whether I'm going to like them or not, and that rarely happens, unfortunately. It's not like I have a whole list of requirements or what I'm looking for in a guy, it's more of like an instant yes or no when I see someone — it's all about chemistry and connection. At first conversation, I'll know if I'm attracted to you or not, and you need that to develop anything further. I haven't been in love many times and don't fall in love easily, so we'll see! It will come one day.
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