The Bachelor’s Vanessa Grimaldi didn’t want Nick Viall to propose on the show. The couple polarized many in Bachelor Nation, in part, because of the complicated nature of their union.

Think back to Nick Viall’s season of The Bachelor. The hunky bad boy, who ruffled quite a few feathers on Andi Dorfman’s season of The Bachelorette, was now playing host to his own roster of eager single ladies. Although a number of women stood out as compatible matches for Viall, he quickly set his sights on Canadian Vanessa Grimaldi. The special needs teacher had a lot of traits that seemed to entice Viall, such as job stability, strong family ties, and a maternal quality to soften the edgy heartthrob. Unfortunately, Grimaldi wasn’t on board with the proposal, despite putting up a brave front.

According to Us Weekly, Grimaldi made the confession on the Let’s Talk About It With Taylor Nolan podcast. She recalls that she asked Viall if they could date instead of jumping into an engagement, so that they could get to know each other off camera. His response was surprisingly heartfelt, she told them:

The couple barely got to grow, however. Grimaldi and Viall called it quits in 2017. In the years since their ill-fated romance, Viall has been linked to actresses January Jones and Rachel Bilson. Grimaldi waxes philosophic about the demise of their romance, stating that she credits it with putting her in touch with her current beau, businessman Josh Wolfe. She confesses that her time on The Bachelor is probably responsible for Wolfe reaching out to her via social media in the first place, thus starting their courtship.

“He said, ‘I know to you it could be just a piece of jewelry, but there’s so much meaning towards us leaving engaged because there’s going to be so much attention. There’s going to be so much, like, backlash on us once we’re done with the show. At least this is going to hold us so much more. It’s going to hold us together. It’s going to hold us together more than it’s true. ‘Cause you have, like, something you’re working towards, right?’ And I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t picture him as someone that I could’ve potentially grown with.”

The great thing about The Bachelor franchise is that shows viewers that love can surpass distance, professional obligations, and race. In the end, Viall and Grimaldi just wanted different things. His life took him to Los Angeles in pursuit of an acting career, and her life has given her a second chance at love and a possible engagement with her current boyfriend.

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Source: Us