The 28-year-old publicist's journey to becoming our new 'Bachelorette' was years in the making.
Becca Kufrin got her happily ever after on The Bachelorette -- but what inspired her to try to find love on TV in the first place?
The 28-year-old publicist revealed why she applied for The Bachelor on Stassi Schroeder's Straight Up With Stassi podcast on Friday, sharing that her new role as Bachelorette was actually years in the making.
"It actually started years ago. Two of my co-workers had applied for me and I got this random call one day from this guy named Scott from casting," Kufrin shared. "I thought it was a joke at first."
Things didn't pan out then, however, as Kufrin said she ended up getting back together with an ex-boyfriend. The two officially broke up in 2016, and after admitting she felt "kind of down," Kufrin decided to apply for the show a second time.
"Months later, I got a call again from casting saying, 'We got your application. Do you want to move forward?'" she recalled. "'I'm single. Why not? What do I have to lose?' [I was] just thinking, 'Who knows what is going to happen?'"
Kufrin, of course, got her first shot at finding love on TV on Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s season of The Bachelor, which ended with the race car driver proposing to her -- and weeks later changing his mind and deciding to pursue a relationship with his runner-up, Lauren Burnham. Kufrin and Luyendyk's unedited breakup aired just one night before she was revealed as the new Bachelorette -- and Luyendyk got down on one knee to propose to Burnham.
Kufrin confessed that it took her "a couple months" to fully heal before starting her Bachelorette duties. "I spent time at the gym, journaling, reading. I was always with my friends and family because I wanted to feel like me again. I didn't want to take away my sense of identity," she expressed. "I've been through bad breakups in the past…I didn't want anyone to stop me from living my life and being me."
ABC confirmed to ET earlier this week that Kufrin is indeed engaged, and the Bachelorette told ET on Wednesday that she's looking forward to tying the knot. "He better marry me," she joked.
"[I love] so many things [about him]," Kufrin gushed. "Just that he put up with me through the entire journey."
"It feels so different because the relationship and the guy is different. And this time, it feels better suited for me, it's like this better fit for me and what I need in my life," she added of how her mystery fiance compares to Luyendyk. "And I am willing to do anything it takes to make it work to support my partner."
"I was asking for a teammate, a 50/50 throughout the entire season. I feel like I truly found that. So we'll have each other's backs through the time where we have to stay private. And then we'll continue that and share it with the world," Kufrin insisted.
Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette premieres Monday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. See more from our interview in the video below.
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