Krystal Nielson first made her appearance in the franchise on Season 22 of The Bachelor, where she faced criticism for her whispery voice and bold personality.
However, while she didn’t find love in that season, she did on Season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise, where she fell in love with Chris Randone and got engaged during the finale.
Chris and Krystal tied the knot during the Season 6 show in 2019, however, their marriage didn’t last, and the two filed for divorce in early 2020.
Now, over two years later, Krystal is finally speaking out about what happened between the two and how it was one of the toughest times in her entire life.
Krystal Nielson reveals how hard publicly going through a divorce was
While on the Talking It Out with Bachelor Nation podcast, co-hosts Mike Johnson and Bryan Abasolo discussed Krystal’s divorce and split from Chris Randone during an episode.
When asked how it was to have to go through a divorce while in the public eye, Krystal replied, “It was really scary. The first time I was on The Bachelor, I was the villain. The ‘worst villain’ as Reality Steve said because I wasn’t mean, I was just made fun of.”
Krystal went on to say, “That was a whole process and I felt so much shame, rejection, unloved, and unseen for who I really was around that. It was so frustrating to know who I am but have this curated version, not me.”
She then talked about how Paradise had given her a second chance to show her true colors and have a second chance at finding love.
Krystal talked about her insecurities during the divorce came about
Krystal also discussed how viewers saw her during her stint on The Bachelor caused her even more insecurities and anxiety while she went through her divorce.
She stated, “The divorce was really tough because I felt that going on Paradise and finding someone, there was so much love and attention. There was so much celebration around our relationship and I told myself that being in a relationship means I’m loved but by myself I’m a villain.”
Krystal also declared, “Deciding to divorce, I was really afraid that outside of that relationship, I would be the villain again. I thought that I wouldn’t be loved or accepted and seen as a failure.”
She went on to talk about how she and Chris would go back and forth on whether or not they were actually going to go through with the divorce, and how scary it was for them both.
Krystal seems happy now
While times were tough for a while for Krystal, amid a divorce, the pandemic, and then finding out she was pregnant shortly after her divorce from Chris, she seems to have found happiness these days.
Krystal and Miles Bowles, her boyfriend and baby daddy to daughter Andara Rose, are in love and extremely happy together. Krystal, although having to go through hardships and obstacles to get to this point, is grateful for where life has taken her. For the entire podcast episode with Krystal, Mike, and Bryan, click here.
Bachelor in Paradise Season 8 premieres on Sept. 27, 2022, on ABC.