Shock reason Laura Byrne almost missed out on The Bachelor

Laura Byrne reveals the behind-the-scenes details of how she ghosted the Bachelor producers and almost didn't go on the show.

Video transcript

LAURA BYRNE: Um, it's funny because that's the story that a lot of people have latched on to, and I've had a lot of questions about it. But when-- so when I got onto the show-- like, when they gave me the call-up and they said, we want you, you've made it into the shortlist of being on this season of "The Bachelor," I was only half-invested. Like, I was half-excited, and half of me was, like, mm, eh, do I want to do this? What's that going to look like on TV?

Because I was-- I'd never really watched "The Bachelor" before. And I also was very worried about how I would be portrayed. I didn't call them and say I wasn't going to do it, but I just didn't make my call time, completely hadn't packed a suitcase-- nothing. And then I got a call from the producers that night being, like, well, obviously, you're not here. What happened?

Are you still going to do the show? And I said, no, I'm not interested in doing it, and I've changed my mind. And she said, look, if you change your mind again, we would really love for you to be on the show.

And she kind of said-- she was like, we think that you, personality-wise, would be really well suited to Matty. And that, I guess-- well, I didn't know it was Matty. But she was like, personality-wise, you'd be really well-suited to the bachelor. And so I think-- I was like, no, not interested. Really sorry to disappoint you. But yeah, that's me done. And she said, well, look, if you change your mind, be at the Ultimo Hotel by 10:00 AM tomorrow.

And I still feel dumb saying this because I know how, like, woo-woo it comes across, but I went to sleep that night, and I hadn't packed a bag, and then I woke up at about 3:00 in the morning, and I had had this dream that, like-- I can't describe what the dream was because it wasn't a specific dream. But I just had this overwhelming feeling of, like, you have to go on the show. Like, something big is going to happen. And then, yeah, when I got there, it was old Matty J., and then it's all been on since. Got two kids and, you know, the love of my life.

- Three kids, yeah.

LAURA BYRNE: Three children.

- I don't think that that's a crazy thing to say. I really believe in that kind of stuff, that getting that feeling-- like, listening to your body's intuition. Something's happening in you that you have to listen to. And there's-- obviously, there's a reason you felt that. I don't think that's a crazy thing.

LAURA BYRNE: I know, and I--

- I'm all about it.

LAURA BYRNE: --I'm sure that other people have had experiences in life where they're, like-- you know, they've had that intuition feeling that they've done something, and then it's worked out the way it was supposed to be, or they feel kind of like the blocks of their life fell into place. I think the reason why I downplay it is because it feels silly for it to be about reality TV, especially because I was so negative about the experience. I was so, like, ugh, as if anybody falls in love on reality TV. That's so dumb.

- Fake news!

LAURA BYRNE: And I thought I was just going to go on there and, like, have a fun experience. I didn't even tell my family I was going on the show except for my sister because I was like, I'll be back home in three weeks. They won't even know. Like, they won't even know I've been gone, to bother telling them that I'm going to be there.

And then 3 and 1/2 months later, I was, like, crying on a carpet in Thailand, like, I love you! Yeah, so things really got out of control quick. [LAUGHS]

- It escalated rapidly.

- Yeah, definitely.