The Bachelorette hunk Mike Johnson may not be the next Bachelor but he’s still making headlines, especially with his latest revelation that he was sexually assaulted.
Since his time on the ABC hit reality series, Mike released his first book, Making The Love You Want. In it, he opened up a lot about himself and some really tough things that he went through.
That includes a sexual assault that Mike Johnson endured as a child and his reason for sharing the event — he wants to help others.
Mike Johnson details sexual assault as a child
In the intro for Making The Love You Want, Mike Johnson revealed an incident from when he was just 5 years old and was living with his family in Germany.
He claims that a babysitter sexually assaulted him.
“My memories of fighting her off me and exploding out the front door to get away are still vivid,” he writes. “Although I knew that what happened to me should never happen to any child, I couldn’t help but think something was wrong with me.”
It took Mike Johnson about six months to put together his first book. He has shared that he often would wake up out of his sleep in order to write down things that came to him at night.
The Bachelorette standout explains why he shared
It turns out that Mike Johnson is hoping that by sharing his painful story that he can help other people. He spoke with PEOPLE about the sexual assault revelation and why he shared such a painful personal memory.
“My book teaches people how to stand up in their power, and for me to help others, I practice what I preach and be authentic and let people know what I’ve been through,” Mike explained. “When you can connect with the author of one of your favorite books, it can make you feel so much better.”
It turns out that this story is one that Mike didn’t even tell his own mother until he started working on his book.
“I knew she would feel as if she was wrong, and I don’t want her to ever feel that way because there’s nothing she could have done,” he said. “I wanted to protect her.”
But ultimately, the Bachelorette alum said that it has helped him to talk about the incident with his friends.
“When you talk about it, you gain strength,” he explained. “It was comforting … after those deep, vulnerable conversations, you’d be surprised how much your bond grows.”
Making the Love You Want was released on Friday.