Georgia Love on the 'negativity' of the Internet: 'So much anger'

Georgia Love has had quite an intense few months, with the former Bachelorette star facing accusations of racism and the controversy surrounding a trip she and husband Lee Elliott took to Saudi Arabia.

But the 33-year-old revealed to Yahoo Lifestyle she is trying not to focus so much on the "negativity of the internet" at the moment and tries to remind herself of the kind of person she really is at the end of the day.

Speaking with us about the collaboration between her sleepwear label Georgia Elliott and Pancare Foundation, one of Australia's leading pancreatic cancer charities, Georgia shared that the charity holds a special place in her heart following the passing of her mother Belinda Love, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2016.

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The Georgia Elliot and Pancare Foundation collaboration is in remembrance of Belinda with ten dollars from every set being donated to the charity.

Georgia shared how important it is to her to support Pancare, as pancreatic cancer research is severely underfunded in comparison to other cancer research. Pancreatic cancer also, sadly, has one of the lowest survival rates.

'My biggest cheerleader'

Speaking of how her mum would feel about the fundraising she's been doing, Georgia shared, "My mum was always my biggest cheerleader with everything I did, even the things that she may have questioned what I was doing, but always backed my decisions.'

She added, "I know no matter what I do that she would have my back, but I really think though she'd probably be really embarrassed that all the talk is about her, that everyone knows her name and is sharing her photo.

"She worked in health, she was a nurse her entire career. She knows how important all of this is, she taught us about the importance of giving your time to things like charities to be able to talk to things that may not impact you directly but helping other people so I know she'd be incredibly proud and very, very chuffed that her legacy has gone into this."

With Mother's Day fast approaching, Georgia tells us she typically avoids it.

"It's going to be my sixth Mother's Day without my mum and this week leading up to it is my least favourite week of the whole year. My email account is spammed with you know, 'Spoil mum this Mother's Day!' ... All we're hearing about is 'Don't forget Mum!' and it's really hard when you're grieving the loss of yours."

She adds that she usually spends the day under the covers and ignoring it as best she can, however, this year her fundraising with Pancare is putting a positive spin on a sad time of the year.

'So much anger'

When asked what advice her mum might have given her during the last six months, that have been particularly rocky for Georgia, she said, "I think the best advice probably any parent can give a child in this day and age is to you know, keep your head out of the Internet too much".

"It's so easy to get bogged down in the negativity of the internet, let alone after the two years we've had with Covid. There's just so much anger and grief around and I think the most important thing we can do is to make sure we're leaning on those people around us. I know my mum definitely would always continue to give me that advice."

She continued, "Lean on the people that you know and love and those people who know you and know who you're actually about and try not to listen to the critics if they're only being critical, of course, there's learnings to be taken from everything in life even those things that are negative.

"But I think the most important thing that I have probably learned in my five years in the public eye has been just to really stop and remember what those people around you think and how you feel about yourself and not let the negative comments and trolls get to you too much – which is always easier said than done! I try to remind myself!"

Speaking of their first year of marriage, Georgia shared how Lee supported her through the highs and lows of the last 12 months.

"Certainly 2021 was so difficult for so many people, and it really had an awful lot of downs for me as well as the highs of getting married. So I'm very very lucky to have such a supportive husband by my side. And the first year of marriage has thrown, as I'm sure it does for a lot of people, many challenges but I have been so lucky to have him by my side through all of that."

She jokingly added, "And we still like each other, so that's good!"

The impact of social media and reality TV

Speaking about the Bachelor and Bachelorette, Georgia, who is a self-confessed "super fan" said she thinks the show's format is "great".

"I think there's a reason that it's worked for so long in the US as well," she said. "And they have so many more seasons than us. I think the thing that's changed the show the most is social media."

Speaking of her season of The Bachelorette, Georgia revealed she and the Bachelors weren't allowed to use social media "at all", which she believes was quite helpful for everyone's mental health.

"We weren't to use social media at all, it wasn't a part of it. And now it's such a part of that, I think that's really, really very difficult on the people who go on the show.

"And I think that's the thing that changes it the most – you've got to have such a thick skin to go on it these days because, gosh, the stuff that people in any reality TV show get thrown by putting themselves out there is really tough. And I just hope that everyone is getting supported and understands what they are getting into when they go on these shows these days. Because it's really, really difficult. Well, I assume it is. I think it was much easier for us when we did it, I feel lucky I did it then!"

Support the Pancare Foundation with the Elizabeth set by Georgia Elliott, or head to their website to donate directly.

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