Last night, we said goodbye to Tatum on The Bachelor, but this was no ordinary farewell, as the 26-year-old was the one that dumped Jimmy, saying she no longer wanted to appear on the show.
The news took Jimmy by surprise, with him saying he was “completely blindsided” by Tatum’s decision.
There were plenty of tears and emotions were high as she said goodbye to the mansion, but Tatum reveals at that point in time, she just wanted to get on with her life.
POPSUGAR Australia spoke to the company director and asked about the moment she left Jimmy, and also, that dinner party scene.
POPSUGAR Australia: When you left, how did you feel about Jimmy at that point?
Tatum Hargraves: When I left the show, honestly I was just really excited to get on with my life. I had completely made up my mind, and I had no feelings towards Jimmy, good or bad. It was like ‘hey, I went on this show, I met this guy and there was no chemistry’ and that was it. I don’t have anything nasty to say, I think he’s a really nice guy, he just wasn’t the guy for me.
PS: On the show, it seemed you made the decision to leave quite abruptly, was that the case in real life? Or were you contemplating leaving before then?
TH: It did seem quite sudden. I guess because the episodes are really condensed compared to real-time. I’d been there for almost six weeks at that point, I was there for love and I was getting to know Jimmy. I didn’t want to make an irrational decision until I felt like I closed every box with him and really gotten to know him as a person, so it was a thought out decision. The cocktail party was the week after the dinner party and by no means was my decision based around what had happened at the dinner party, because we’d all sorted things out after then anyway.
To be totally honest, I was contemplating leaving the cocktail party prior but Ashleigh was sent home so the cocktail party was cancelled. And I didn’t want to leave without having a conversation with Jimmy, so there was never a right time in between that cocktail party and the next. So I had to unfortunately just wait it out because I wanted to treat Jimmy how I would anybody in the outside world and that’s having a conversation and letting them say their piece as well. I think it’s the right thing to do.
PS: We’re all aware of how reality TV can be twisted around. Since you’re being made out to be the bad guy at the moment, can you tell us what happened at the dinner party from your point of view?
TH: So, a question was in the box, I answered it and spoke on behalf of myself, not on anybody else’s behalf and what Steph had to say to Holly was between Holly and Steph, which didn’t involve me. But you’ve got to remember like you said, it’s a reality TV show so, at the end of the day, we’re only shown a really small snippet of what actually happened so there are a lot of good times in there.
You need to remember there are 23 girls living under the same roof so emotions are heightened and it’s inevitable that we’re going to get on each other’s nerves. But what I have to say about that is, I don’t hold any animosity towards Holly, I really wish her all the best and I have that same wish for all the girls in the mansion.
PS: When you left, a lot of the girls were distraught. Did you speak to anyone about what you were planning on doing beforehand?
TH: No, I didn’t. I didn’t talk to anybody about it, I went there for myself and my relationship was with Jimmy, not the other girls. We had separate friendships, so I didn’t need anybody’s opinion, I wanted to just show respect and just chat to him one-on-one and then leave because that’s how I would treat anybody. I wouldn’t have done it any other way.
PS: You and Steph seemed quite close on the show, do you feel like the way she’s perceived is fair?
TH: I wouldn’t say I was really close with Steph on the show, we were actually at the dinner party on a seating arrangement. It’s been played out as if we are, but there’s not really moments you would have seen Steph or me talking about Holly, that’s not the case. It’s just been put in a way where it seems as though we’re very close. I have relationships with all the girls but by no means were I … yeah, I don’t really have much to say about that.
PS: Who do you think will be the last woman standing?
TH: I hope Jay wins, she’s really genuine and I just hope that she finds love. She was such a beautiful girl and really kind, and just was herself the whole way through. She never changed her character.
PS: Do you have any regrets about your time on the show? Would you do anything differently?
TH: No, I wouldn’t do anything differently. I was really true to myself, the good, the bad, things that I said. Naturally, I’m a person that doesn’t have a filter, but I am really upfront and direct about things. I like to have conversations and talk about things, rather than do it behind people’s back. I know when people watch these sort of things, they’re like, ‘oh, she could be a bit abrupt’, but that’s just my personality and I wouldn’t have done anything differently because I was myself.
PS: Tell us, what’s up next for you?
TH: With my business, the brow technicians, we have a new product launching at the end of this month. It’s called the Super Hold Brow Glue, so we’re really excited for this product. It gives your brows a laminated effect and given the current climate at the moment, it’s hard for us to get in and out of a beauty salon so this is a perfect product for people to do from home. We’re really excited to launch this product.
