'Bachelor' star Colton Underwood comes out as 'gay'; apologises to ex Cassie Randolph

Former The Bachelor star Colton Underwood returned to the TV screens on Wednesday morning, sharing a deep personal conversation in one of the most candid interviews of his life to date. Sitting down with ABC's Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, Colton Underwood spoke his truth as he came out as gay on national television. 

"Obviously, this year has been a lot for a lot of people, and it's probably made a lot of people look themselves in the mirror and figure out who they are and what they've been running from or what they've been putting off in their lives. For me, I've ran from myself for a long time; I've hated myself for a long time. And, I'm gay," he said during the interview.

Sharing how he came to terms with the fact over the course of last year Colton said that while he was 'emotional', he was so in a 'happy and positive way.' "I'm like the happiest and healthiest I've ever been in my life and that means the world to me," he said. The star also shared some of his dark moments talking about how he at one point felt like he 'would rather die than say that he was gay.'

Colton apologizes to Cassie

Moreover, the former football player addressed the elephant in the room- his volatile relationship with his Bachelor ex- Cassie Randolph issuing a public apology to her. "I messed up. I made a lot of bad choices. I loved everything about her. And that only made it harder and more confusing for me. I'm sorry for the pain and emotional stress I caused. I wish it wouldn't have happened the way it did. I wish that I would have been courageous enough to fix myself before I broke anybody else."

"Do I regret being the Bachelor and do I regret handling it the way I did? I do. I do think I could have handled it better. I just wish I wouldn't have dragged people into my own mess of figuring out who I was. I genuinely mean that," Underwood added.

Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph

Notably, Colton Underwood had last been under the spotlight after his former girlfriend Cassie Randolph knocked on the doors of the Court to file a restraining order against him on charges of domestic violence. She also accused him of putting a tracking device under the bumper of her car. 

This was followed by a sudden purge of Colton's Instagram posts as he wiped out his entire Instagram feed days after she dropped the restraining order against him. As per sources, both of them eventually managed to reach a private agreement after which the police dropped its investigation against Underwood.

The duo had kick-started their journey on the 23rd season of The Bachelor, which aired in the first half of 2019. The couple had called it quits in June 2020.