In October 2018, Nick Cummins ghosted every single fan of The Bachelor Australia.

Appearing in the reality show’s finale, the Honey Badger chose neither Brittany Hockley nor Sophie Tieman as the winner, leaving millions of viewers at home feeling confused.

Executing a complete media blackout as the dust settled, the former rugby union player took to the challenging bush of Papua New Guinea to complete the Kokoda track.

But it turns out the 31-year-old’s experience on reality television was far different to how it was portrayed to the country throughout the season.

Nick Cummins addresses Brittany Hockley and Sophie Tieman on The Project. Post continues after video. 

Speaking to Stellar, the former Wallaby explained that being on The Bachelor took a huge toll on his mental health, at one point leading him to run away from the producers.

“I just took off into the bush. And I went there for hours and hours. I remember stripping off to my undies and laying on a rock and I said a couple of prayers… I asked whoever was listening, ‘Help. Give me some guidance and give me some energy.’ Because I was fading. My soul was going dark,” he said.

He added that the environment didn’t foster the conditions necessary to fall in love with someone, because they were never allowed to be alone.

“I said to [Brooke Blurton], which I’d said before, that everything feels a bit staged and I don’t think I can find love in this type of environment,” he told Stellar.

View this post on Instagram

Feels good to clear the air! Burn over and have a read of @StellarMag this Sunday.

A post shared by Honey Badger (@nickbadger) on Jun 27, 2019 at 8:54pm PDT

Cummins also explained that his time on The Bachelor was a challenge, but that he matured from the experience.

“It really gave me direction and forced me to understand that meaning is a non-negotiable. You have to have that in your life,” he said.

“We are on this earth for a reason, and that’s to make a difference in someone else’s life.”

It was this journey that led Cummins to establish Rogue Gentlemen’s Club, a group therapy business that provides excursions for men who want to unplug and reconnect with themselves and nature.

During the interview, Cummins also weighed in on his former Wallabies teammate Israel Folau, who had his Rugby Australia contract terminated earlier this year after posting a number of controversial Instagram photos.

“I commend [Folau] for his courage, for having an opinion in these times. I think it’s something we deserve, the right to [one’s] own opinion,” he explained. “But I also have a spiritual part to me that’s like, ‘Hang on a second, everyone is equal.'”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Honey Badger (@nickbadger) on Jun 14, 2019 at 1:48am PDT

In December 2018, Nick Cummins spoke to ABC Radio National about his final weeks on The Bachelor.

“People are so brainwashed, you’re not going to get your fairy-tale ending every time,” he said.

“What’s more important: me just saying ‘yes’ and going through the motions and dragging some girl through all the media about how we’re in love and then three months down the track after the contract’s over, we’re allowed to break up?” he continued, confirming there is a contractual agreement to stay together after The Bachelor.

He also questioned the validity of previous Bachelor and Bachelorette winners.

“That’s happened [in the past]. I wasn’t going to do that because I have respect for the girl,” he said, hinting at the fact that perhaps he had found a loophole in the contract by walking away from Brittany Hockley and Sophie Tieman in the season finale.

Nick Cummins has been largely silent since his time on The Bachelor, posting sparsely on social media and rarely speaking to the media.

You can read Nick Cummins’ full interview with Stellar here.

Want more Mamamia stories? Sign up to our newsletters and get our best stories straight into your inbox.