Colton Underwood Dishes on Past ‘Bachelor’ Relationships Before Claiming to Be ‘Ready to Find My Wife’

It was officially announced this week that Colton Underwood will serve as The Bachelor on the long-running reality show’s upcoming 23rd season, a decision that caused some controversy within Bachelor Nation.

Bachelor fans have seen Underwood on their screens twice before, first on Becca Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette this year, where Underwood reached the hometown dates, and then on this summer’s Bachelor in Paradise, where he left the show after breaking things off with fellow contestant Tia Booth, who he had known previously.

While some fans expressed concern on social media that Underwood isn’t ready to be The Bachelor, the 26-year-old begged to differ during a new interview with People.

“This is the perfect time in my life to do this,” he said. “I’m so unbelievably happy with myself and now I can focus on finding my wife. I’m so excited to find that. My heart is 100 percent healed and I’m going to give this my all. And hopefully I’ll come out of it engaged!”

“I’m very excited,” he added of his new gig. “I’m so grateful. I can’t tell you how much I’ve been smiling.”

During the interview, Underwood also spoke about his two reality show romances, explaining that he ultimately realized he and Booth just weren’t meant to be.

“I committed fully into that relationship and I gave it an honest to God shot,” the former NFL player said. “But I woke up one morning and realized that a future wasn’t there. And it was a good thing to happen because now I can take what I learned in that relationship and apply it to future relationships. And Tia and I are in a very good place. And I wish her all the best.”

Also during Paradise, Kufrin visited the show’s set, using her time there to talk with Underwood about their relationship and providing the athlete with closure, something Underwood said he is grateful for.

He also shared that he has nothing but positive things to say about both Kufrin and Booth.

“Obviously you can tell how it was all so emotional for me,” Underwood noted of his journey with the two women. “But it was also good for me. I can’t say enough good things about Becca and enough good things about Tia. They’ve helped me grow and discover who I am and what I’m looking for in a wife.”

During his time on The Bachelorette, Underwood revealed that he is a virgin, something he has since been open about and shared that he wants to de-stigmatize.

“I’m going to live my life and do what I’ve always done,” he said. “[Being a virgin] needs to be normalized; it’s just who I am and what I believe in. I hold a lot of value in it and I hold it to a high standard. I’m just waiting for the right heart.”

The Bachelor Season 23 premieres midseason on ABC.

Photo Credit: Getty / John Medina