“For Me, We Really Were Compatible”: The Bachelor’s Ashleigh on Her Shock Exit

Thursday night’s episode of The Bachelor was a heartbreaking one, as Jimmy made the difficult decision to send Ashleigh home.

After grabbing Jimmy’s attention on the group date, Ashleigh was able to have some one-on-one time with him where she admitted to wanting kids soon.

Jimmy, on the other hand, wanted to wait, and it was obvious from that moment that the two weren’t fully aligned.

After much thought and deliberation, Jimmy decided it was best to send Ashleigh home to avoid leading her on when his feelings for her were purely platonic.

POPSUGAR Australia had the chance to chat with Ashleigh about the entire experience, which she took like an absolute champ. Read on to find out what she had to say.

POPSUGAR Australia: Watching the date back, it was obvious the two of you wanted different things in life. What was running through your mind at that moment?

Ashleigh Freckleton: It didn’t really seem like that to me at that moment. Watching it back, I was like ‘oh, that’s not how I felt.’ For me, my timeline was actually aligned with his. When I look into it again I would have said 3-5 years.

Also, you couldn’t read the whole letter because they were so long, like really long, so you didn’t get to hear everything that was in the letter, but I had also said 3-5 years then. So I also couldn’t believe it that I said 2 years, I was like ‘two!?’ I don’t know why I even thought that, but I obviously must have kind of just been thinking about it at that moment.

For me, it didn’t come down to misaligned timelines, it actually came down to the chemistry at the end of the day. So for me, it didn’t really come down to the babies thing, it came down to the chemistry thing.

PS: What were your feelings towards Jimmy at that point?

AF: So there were a lot of moments with Jimmy and me that never made it to the screen, and we really had a lot in common and shared some really nice moments.

I’ve written him a poem, I had given him chocolate freckles — because that’s my nickname — and I also sat down with him and showed him pictures of my family and where I’m from. So we spent some time getting to know each other, and for me we really were compatible.

I think that it comes down to the chemistry rather than the compatibility. Just for him, it wasn’t there. For me, how could I not, it’s Jimmy, he’s The Bachelor. Of course, we’re all crushing hard on him, the feelings were there but he just didn’t feel the same way.

PS: I admire how composed you were when Jimmy broke the news to you. Were you expecting it at all?

AF: Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it at all, and when I think about it, the reason I was so composed was probably partly because I was so shocked. I didn’t expect to be going home, I actually half-expected Jimmy to take me there to give me a rose. That’s how good I felt about our interactions and where things were heading.

At that moment I was really shocked and I was able to sort of stay composed partly because of that and partly because it was just such a nice, respectful, mature conversation.

PS: It seems like when you left, you weren’t able to say goodbye to any of the girls. How did it feel to leave the mansion without that opportunity?

AF: That’s exactly what happened. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to anyone at all, which was really tough but in the end, if I think about it, I actually prefer to go the way that I did because it was so nice and respectful to have that conversation with Jimmy. But it was really hard to go so unexpectedly and not have a chance to say goodbye to anyone. 

PS: What have you taken away from the entire experience?

AF: I’ve taken away the opportunity to have a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was a wild ride but there were some really fun moments and I’ve just given myself one more opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone and show myself that rejection isn’t the end of the world.

You can actually take it in your stride and move forward with it, stronger. I’ll break my heart a thousand times if it leads me to the right person.

PS: Now that you’ve left the show, what’s next in store for you?

AF: I’m working part-time as a speech pathologist, and I’m also studying psychology. I’m really passionate about mental health and supporting people’s well-being so that’s where my real passion in life lies. I put off studying for a while but I really want to dive into those studies now and pursue them further.

PS: And finally, who do you think will be the last woman standing?

AF: My money is on either Jay, Brooke, or Holly.

The Bachelor Australia airs at 7.30pm on 10 and 10Play.