While Deanna was in The Bachelor mansion, she lost two of the people she loved the most.

Last week Deanna Salvemini entered The Bachelor mansion as one of three intruders.

She didn’t have an easy experience on the reality TV series.

Just as the 28-year-old was preparing to meet the Honey Badger, she discovered her brother’s best friend, Michael Owens, had passed away.

Owens, 23, had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia just five days earlier.

“That night I found out that my brother’s best mate – who was like a third brother to me – didn’t make it through the night,” she told Mamamia.

“It was a whirlwind of emotion,” she explained. “I was extremely excited to go into the mansion and start my journey, and at the same time, I was extremely shattered by the news that my friend had just passed away. ”

Deanna said only five days earlier, Owens had been at their family home "carrying on like normal".

Then, two weeks into her time in the Bachelor mansion, Deanna received some more sad news.

"I got a phone call to say that my grandma passed away while I was in there as well," she explained to Mamamia.

"She was ill and then got really sick and passed away. It was too late for me to even come back."

The former competitive swimmer said it was really difficult dealing with all of this - on top of the intensity in the house.

"My mind was all over the place. I was dealing with a lot and obviously trying to deal with this new situation of being on camera, and having conversations monitored, and meeting Nick, and just having so much drama in the mansion," she said.

Deanna, who works as a dental nurse, said she didn't receive the warmest response from the other women.

"Some girls were very stand-offish, didn't want a bar of you and obviously very territorial," she explained.

While Deanna never felt "bullied" by the other contestants, she said we did see the real Cat and Romy on the show.

"I definitely did have some disagreements with some girls who did start fights with me," she explained.

"From my experience of going in there and then watching back and seeing the nasty comments that were said about me - it doesn't leave me with anything really nice to say, because it wasn't a nice time."

You can donate to the Michael Owens AML Fund, to help fund research into Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.