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Bachelor Abbie: 'I had an abortion last year, I just started sobbing'
Bachelor runner-up Abbie Chatfield has opened up about having an abortion several months before appearing on the program.
The 24-year-old made the admission on the Shameless podcast on Thursday, telling its hosts she broke down in front of producers when the topic was broached during filming.
Tricky questions
Abbie recounted that it came to a head when a male crew member asked her about her family plans during the all-stars episode which featured previous winners Laura Byrne and Snezana Wood, who were both pregnant at the time.
After the producer’s line of questioning continued, Abbie said he suggested it would ‘be nice [for her] to be pregnant with someone [she] loves'—a commented which elicited an emotional response.
“Because I had an abortion last year, I just started sobbing,” she told the podcast of her response.
The star went on to detail how her feelings were compounded by a narrative on the program which focused heavily on her apparent lack of interest in starting a family with Matt.
“I'm so sick of having to justify why I haven't been screaming from the rooftops, ‘I want kids’,” Abbie said.
“At that time, I felt very guilty for saying that I wanted kids because I had aborted one in March last year.”
She went on to disclose that she told Matt about the procedure during filming but made attempts to keep the information from crew members.
But despite her reluctance to have the information included in her storyline on the show, Abbie said she now wants to publicise her experience in a bid to remove stigma around abortion.
“A lot of women have abortions and, whether or not you know they have abortions, it's OK. I just don't want people to be shamed for that or feel internal shame,” she said.
“Maybe someone who's kind of in the public eye saying they've had an abortion and that it's OK will help.”
Mental health support for yourself or a loved one can be found by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978, or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.
