The Bachelorette star Katie Thurston was praised on Monday after revealing a heartbreaking situation in which "there wasn't consent".
Katie, who has been lauded for her sex positivity, told several of her suitors: "I was involved a situation where there wasn’t consent, and that is not something I wish upon anybody.
"I was in denial about what happened, so much so that I tried to form a relationship with him, because I didn’t want to believe what actually had happened.”
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She went on to share that in the years following, it led to an unhealthy relationship with sex.
"I didn’t want to have sex. I didn’t like talking about sex, and it’s taken me a long time to get to where I am now, loving myself and accepting things I can no longer control.
"And I just want you guys to know that I've come a long way in who I was 10 years ago and how important consent is, how important communication is and how important it is to not guilt trip somebody for not having enough sex with them, guilt trip them for not having sex with them in general."
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Katie made her emotional revelation during a group date hosted by former Bachelor Nick Viall in which the guys were asked to reveal intimate secrets from past relationships.
Nick Viall hosted the discussion
"The Bachelorette’s consent message! Love it," tweeted one fan as another added: "Thank you Katie for sharing your story."
"It's not your fault. Consent is important. @katiethurston more love for your courage to share your story," shared a third fan.
One fan tweeted: "Ok but this consent conversation is great."
For the men in the group, it was also an important conversation, with Hunter sharing details of his former marriage and being a father to two children, while Quartney discussed losing trust in a past relationship.
Connor B, who has become a fan favorite, bravely opened up on his past issues with alcohol, sharing stories of his days of heavily drinking after he quit grad school.
The show, and Katie, were praised for the conversation
"I got really, really drunk and I picked a fight with my girlfriend at the time and then I went to a party and I got more drunk and I got high and I ended up cheating on her and kind of blowing up my entire life in one day," he shared. "And from there, I read every self-help book I could find. I went to therapy, I talked to family and friends and tried to make amends, but I really hurt someone and I carry a lot of guilt with that."
"I used that to become a better man, to become someone who deserves someone like you," he concluded.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays on ABC at 8pm ET.
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