Katie Thurston got vulnerable this Father’s Day as she reflected on her late father and how she missed him.
The Bachelorette Season 17 lead had been vocal on the show about her father and how hard it was to lose him.
This Father’s Day, Katie used her platform to let others in her similar position know that it’s okay to be sad on the holiday.
Katie Thurston expresses missing her late father on Father’s Day
Katie Thurston took to her Instagram stories to write a message for Father’s Day.
Sharing a scenic photo of mountains and a lake, Katie placed the photo’s focus on a necklace engraved with the word “dad” and the years her dad lived “3-12-1959 to 10-5-2012.”
Along with the photo, Katie added text that read, “Ten years later and the pain is forever the same. You just get better at living with it. The sadness can hit you when you least expect.”
Katie continued, “But then there are moments you know will hurt your heart. And today is one of them. My heart goes out to those missing their dad a little extra today. [white heart emoji].”
Katie Thurston bonded over fathers with Greg Grippo
Katie Thurston had many vulnerable moments in her season of The Bachelorette, including when she opened up about the assault she experienced during a group date.
On a one-on-one date with initial frontrunner Greg Grippo, Katie got candid about the tough loss of her father as Greg also opened up about losing his dad.
While Katie and Greg had an emotional bonding moment in expressing their love for their fathers, their relationship didn’t end up going the distance.
Greg and Katie came to blows after hometowns when Greg became upset that Katie wouldn’t outright confirm she was in love with him and planned to choose him at the end of the season.
Katie had made a firm rule with herself that she would only tell one of her suitors that she was in love with them as she didn’t want to mislead anyone else. Greg wasn’t satisfied with Katie’s approach and left the show, with many viewers accusing him of being a gaslighter.
Katie ended up getting engaged to Blake Moynes at the end of the season instead. However, the two split shortly after wrapping the show.
Fortunately for Katie, she still found love with one of the suitors from her season and is currently in a relationship with John Hersey.
The Bachelorette premieres Monday, July 11, on ABC.