A recent episode of The Bachelor tackled an important topic when contestant Caelynn Miller-Keyes opened up about to Colton Underwood about being sexually assaulted in college.
After Miller-Keyes spoke, Underwood shared that he had previously been in a relationship with a woman who had been a victim of sexual assault, explaining that part of the reason he is still a virgin is because of his ex’s traumatic experience.
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While the former NFL player did not mention his ex Aly Raisman by name, it was inferred that he was talking about the Olympic gymnast, who was one of the many women who came forward last year to take down sexual predator Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics national team doctor. Over 100 women and girls came forward to accuse Nassar of sexual abuse and he is now serving a 175-year prison sentence for child molestation.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight on Feb. 5, Underwood explained that he hasn’t talked to Raisman since the episode because he doesn’t want to diminish Miller-Keyes’ experience.
“The one thing that I will speak on is Caelynn and how powerful and how strong and brave she is,” he said. “It still was so emotional for not only me to watch back, but I’m sure for her as well.”
During The Bachelor‘s Jan. 28 episode, Miller-Keyes told Underwood that during her sophomore year at Virginia Commonwealth University, she and a group of friends were given wine that had been drugged and later raped. After the assault, the pageant queen was turned away from one hospital, and while she eventually got tested at another, her results were inconclusive because so much time had passed. She later found out from a friend that she had been assaulted by two men and shared that while one of the perpetrators was expelled from school, the others that were involved “got away with it.”
“It’s definitely the most difficult thing in the world,” she said on the show. “It’s affected every single person in my life.”
After the episode aired, Raisman spoke to PEOPLE and applauded Miller-Keyes for her courage in sharing her story.
“I am supportive of anybody that comes forward and especially for her to do that on national television, I really commend her for her bravery and I stand with her and I hope she’s getting a ton of support because she deserves it,” she said, adding that many people don’t “realize how hard” it can be to open up about sexual assault.
She also emphasized the importance of supporting survivors, saying, “Even if you can’t relate to someone’s story, if you are supportive of a survivor, you are helping — I really believe you’re making a change in the world that we live in.”
The gymnast also shared that she isn’t watching this season of The Bachelor and hasn’t spoken to Underwood, who she dated from late 2016 to mid-2017, for some time.
“I don’t watch the show,” she said. “We broke up a couple of years ago and we really — we have not talked in a really, really long time.”
Photo Credit: Getty / Noel Vasquez
