Those Rumours About The Bachelor’s Alex Dumping Ex & Scoring Finale Deal Are Likely All Bullshit
Yesterday everyone proceeded to lose their shit over New Idea’s claims that The Bachelor front runner and relentless keeno Alex Nation had a secret advantage and had negotiated a guaranteed spot in the top five with the show’s producers.
[irp posts=”19810″ name=”The Bookies Still Can’t Predict Who Will Win The Bachelor, But One Contestant Is Out For Sure”]
The “news” came along with the assertion that Nation had dumped her boyfriend Tom Barbour of 15 months before joining the dating contest.
New Idea said that her ex-boyfriend was questioning their sudden split last year and was ‘blindsided when Alex said she wanted it all to end’. The magazine claims that Tom escaped Australia on a European trip to avoid watching her on the program.
Regarding Alex’s deal for the finale, a magazine source said:
“She had told some friends that because she would be away from her son, she insisted the producers make it worth her while, and made a deal that she would make the final five,” they said. “So even if she didn’t win, it would help her profile and acting aspirations.”
[irp posts=”19810″ name=”The Bookies Still Can’t Predict Who Will Win The Bachelor, But One Contestant Is Out For Sure”]
Since these damaging claims, a representative of Alex told Scoopla:
“The claims made by an “insider” in New Idea on Monday, September 12 regarding Alex Nation and her past relationship with Tom Barbour are defamatory, completely false and misleading. Alex and Tom’s relationship ended amicably in September, 2015, with both parties agreeing it is best for them to part ways.
“Claims suggesting anything else are incredibly hurtful to both Alex and Tom, who remain on good terms. Tom is now overseas on a scholarship to study, and not overseas to escape Alex as suggested by New Idea.”
Tom appeared on KIIS FM’s Kyle and Jackie O this morning, saying the story was “completely fabricated”.
“No, these stories are not true at all — it was me that made that decision[to break up],” he said. “We did break up in September [2015] but she had not yet applied to the Bachelor. It was a peaceful split. We were just on different paths, different stages in life.”
He added:
“Obviously me being in a wheelchair and her having a young child, brought a lot of complexities into the relationship,” he said.“Me going through a uni degree, I didn’t have time for both her and Elijah … I also didn’t know if I could provide because I was a student.”
As well as the story seemingly being baseless, the coverage of the scandal reeks of ableism, with the fact that Tom was left a paraplegic after a fall from a construction site being featured prominently.
The sensationalist headline by the Daily Mail ‘Alex Nation DUMPED disabled boyfriend’ is pretty cringe-worthy, defining Tom by his disability and assuming his narrative is one of tragedy and lost lovers, which is both victimising and patronising towards Tom.
In truth, he went overseas on a six-month scholarship, and as we can see via his Instagram, appears to be having a ripper time and is currently in Sweden.