The rodeo racer revealed her emotional reasoning in an interview with ET.
Brooklyn Willie is speaking out. After her run on Zach Shallcross' season of The Bachelor came to an end, the 25-year-old rodeo racer shared with ET why she got candid with him about her past emotionally and physically abusive relationship.
Brooklyn opened up about her past relationship during her first one-on-one date with Zach, telling him that it left her as "a shell of a person." Doing so was something she was prepared for when she began her Bachelor journey.
"Coming on the show, I knew I would have to be open about a lot of things," she told ET. "And honestly, being in the public eye, everything comes out eventually."
As for why she told Zach specifically, Brooklyn explained, "If you're going to be in a relationship with someone, they need to know that about you, because it makes you who you are and why you are that way."
"It was hard to share, but he made such a safe place for me to share that, that it felt almost easy," she said, before sharing the deeper reasoning behind her reveal.
"I also felt in that moment of me sharing my story and being so open about it can help just one person, maybe that's the reason God had me go through it," she said. "It was really hard in the moment and it's still hard to continue talking about, but it's something that I'm fine talking about. I want to keep talking about because it's not talked about enough. If my story can help just one person, then maybe that's the reason I went through it."
After the emotional episode aired, Brooklyn, who said cops once woke her up after she was knocked out by her ex, took to her Instagram Story to thank fans for the "love and support" she received.
"I am so overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support from everyone," she wrote. "It does not go unnoticed and it is more appreciated than anyone will ever know."
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential.
The Bachelor airs Mondays on ABC. Stay up to date on all the drama with ET's coverage of Zach Shallcross' journey for love.
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