Just 24 hours after Georgia Love’s The Bachelorette finale aired, she lost her mother to pancreatic cancer.
It was particularly cruel timing.
Love had spent three months filming the reality show, no doubt certain she’d have more time with her mum, who died just six months after receiving her diagnosis.
During the show, Love met and fell in love with Melbourne plumber Lee Elliott, who she was only able to see secretively a handful of times between when filming ended and the finale aired.
But the excitement of finally being able to be public about their relationship was almost immediately eclipsed by Love’s family tragedy.
Speaking to Stacey June and Kristie Mercer for The Thinkergirls Pod Channel, Love recalled the night her mother died, which was also the second night she had ever spent with Lee.
“Our second night as a couple was spent with him literally holding me as I screamed and shook for hours and hours and hours,” she said, her voice cracking.
“I didn’t say anything, I just screamed for hours.
“I really can’t imagine anyone else in the world having been like that with me then. And he didn’t freak out, he stepped up, he messaged everybody I knew that day to say, ‘hi, I’m Lee, I’m Georgia’s boyfriend, I’m just letting you know that this has happened’.
“He went out and he cooked for my whole family, he met everyone in one go.”
LISTEN: Mia Freedman interviews Georgia Love on this episode of No Filter (post continues after audio…)
Love said that period – the days, weeks and months following her mother’s death – might actually have been harder on Lee than it was on her.