May 05, 2020 • bachelor insider
Julia Discusses Brandon's 'Red Flags' and Tough Breakup with Sheridan
Julia Rae wishes she had gone about things a bit differently on "The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart."
Julia spoke with Rachel Lindsay and Becca Kufrin on an episode of "Bachelor Happy Hour" about certain decisions she made, namely choosing Brandon over Sheridan, which resulted in Sheridan and Savannah sending themselves home. Julia discussed her initial spark with Brandon and said he "reminded me of every guy I’ve dated, which has been unsuccessful."
She said, "There were red flags from the beginning with me for him, so I pushed it away even though there was that initial spark. Sheridan and I off the bat had this amazing, genuine, and deeper connection. I knew he was the kind of man I should have in my life."
Julia explained she was "happy to be with Sheridan," but she "also had this connection with Brandon" and didn't feel "quite ready to give it up."
Watching the show has been "so hard" for Julia, she revealed. Becca asked if she wished she had chosen Sheridan over Brandon, and Julia replied, "Absolutely."
She said, "I hope he hears this, because I absolutely regret not choosing him. I think the stakes were so high. In addition to being there to find love, we were all dreamers that were there to achieve a dream. I think when I heard you have to couple up, I honestly panicked."
Julia admitted she did not go about making her decisions "the right way," and added, "My way of going about it didn’t mean Sheridan wasn’t the right person."
She feels confident that had she stayed with Sheridan over Brandon, she would have remained on the show for a longer period of time. Julia said, "Quite frankly, my heart and I have lost sleep over this. Had Sheridan and I stayed together through it, we could’ve taken it all the way. I do believe that."
Julia continued, "Musically, we so fit well together, and we worked well together. It’s heartbreaking for me and for me to think of him feeling that way."
The 27-year-old also revealed on the podcast that she's fallen victim to "brutal" cyberbullying attacks. She told Becca and Rachel, "These have been some of the darkest days, honestly. I’ve felt so misunderstood."
She shared, "I’ve been attacked online and I have never experienced cyberbullying to this level. I’m not sure if it’s because of COVID-19 and they have all this anger they want to express and I’m just the target. It’s been brutal. I don’t wish this feeling on anyone."
To hear more about Julia's time on "Listen to Your Heart" and her big choices, be sure to listen to the full "Bachelor Happy Hour" episode now. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!