Stu Laundy might have the kind of money, power and influence most of us can only ever dream of, but he’s still lonely.
Speaking to the Australian Financial Review on Friday, the 44-year-old heir to the Laundy family’s $412 million fortune, said sheer loneliness drove him to apply for the show.
Before applying for The Bachelorette, Laundy had a brief encounter with Sophie Monk which made him believe it was worth pursuing the possibility of a relationship with her.
Laundy said Monk was the first woman he had clicked with since separating from his ex-wife four years earlier.
“I really felt like Sophie and I clicked, all be it for 10 minutes but more so than I’ve clicked with anyone since my ex-wife,” Laundy says.
So after some deliberations, Laundy decided to put his heart on the line on national TV.
“I ummed and ahhed a lot … and it was because of my kids. My two little ones are big fans of the show, they were always pretty positive but the two older ones were wondering what the impact would be on themselves and their mother,” he told AFR.
“But I weighed up all the pros and cons and through several years of unhappiness, I just thought, this might be a path to happiness.”
Laundy admitted he’s found it difficult to date since he separated from his wife of 15 years, Rachel, in 2013.
“I had gone from having a partner for the best part of 20 years and having four kids that I could just grab and cuddle at any time in the day, to living in an apartment by myself and seeing the kids every second weekend,” he said.
The dad-of-four said he has tried to explain to his married friends how hard it is doing everything by yourself all of a sudden.
“Watching TV by yourself. Eating [by yourself]. You’ve got to do your washing. I don’t think I’ve ever done my washing before. I’m hopeless at that.”
No matter what the outcome is on Thursday night’s finale, the front-runner for Monk’s heart says he has no regrets about going on the show.
“I saw something in Soph. So I put myself through this, made myself look like maybe a moron out there to society but I felt like there was a connection.”
LISTEN: Bach Chat discusses what the way a man handles rejection says about him. Post continues after audio…
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