This The Bachelor winner finally found love after reality TV made her feel ‘exposed’

Estella Gardinier was the final rose winner on Season 4 of The Bachelor with Bachelor lead Bob Guiney, but it wasn’t a fairytale ending.

Although Bob gave her a promise ring and not an engagement ring during the finale, the duo broke up shortly after the season aired.

After the reality television duo broke up, Estella had difficulty putting herself back out in the dating world.

In fact, she stated to Page Six, “After The Bachelor, I felt so exposed, and it led to this hesitancy about dating and being vulnerable because everyone knew everything about me already.”

Following her stint on the show, the now 46-year-old was involved in three serious relationships, but none went further than just dating.

Finally, after some help from a professional who helped her get to the root cause of what was keeping her from finding a lasting partner, she found love in 2020.

Estella Gardinier finally found her person

After paying a therapist to help her figure out what was preventing her from finding a life partner, she decided to try the online dating process.

Estella got on Match.com and met a sales director there. It seemed like her therapist was worth every penny as she finally found the love she had been looking for her whole life, and the two married this past summer.

She had prayed the whole time for someone she could share her life with, who loved her for her and would be in it until the end.

Estella Gardinier talked about her Bachelor experience

While Estella did fall in love with the now podcast co-host, Bob Guiney, on his season of The Bachelor, it wasn’t a lasting one.

Estella declared, “I didn’t end up leaving The Bachelor in a serious, committed relationship, but I have no regrets about being on the show.”

She went on to say, “It was challenging, and I was young, so I didn’t know how to navigate the craziness once it all ended, but the experience helped me grow.”

As a young woman in her mid 20’s going onto a reality television show, people could see how that would be a hard transition once you left and were then in the spotlight and public eye. That is partially why, along with timelines and foundations, many couples end up calling it quits.

Ultimately, it only took Estella nineteen years after filming The Bachelor to find her person, her one true love, but after some work and some luck, it happened.

The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.