Always by his side! Bachelor alum Cassie Randolph is Colton Underwood‘s biggest cheerleader when it comes to his tell-all book, The First Time: Finding Myself and Looking for Love on Reality TV.
“Cassie is so proud of Colton for writing a book and being vulnerable with the world,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. “She knows it’s his story to tell and she would never stop him from sharing any of the details that got him to where he is today.”
The 28-year-old former Bachelor opened up about life, love and reality TV in his emotional memoir — and didn’t hold back any details about his sexuality, his first love and his current relationship with Randolph, 24. The pair met on season 23 of the ABC reality dating series, and though she sent herself home before the final rose, the former football player followed his heart and chose to pursue a relationship with her instead of getting engaged.
Underwood dated Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman before becoming a Bachelor Nation icon — and he addressed the relationship for the first time in his book. “The more time I spent with Aly, the more attractive I found her. She was funny, sharp, and cool about things,” he wrote of his 25-year-old ex-girlfriend. “She was very mature for her age, no doubt from having to grow up fast. She was together. She worked hard in and out of the gym.”
Despite her boyfriend talking at length about his first real love, the California native couldn’t be happier about his new accomplishment. “Cassie was with Colton every step of the way as he worked on the book and was very supportive throughout the entire process,” the insider adds. “It’s been a really exciting time for him and he is thrilled about the positive reaction the book has received.”
Underwood left no stone unturned in his memoir, but one of the hardest things for him to delve into in such a detailed way was past rumors about his sexuality. In an exclusive interview with Us in March, the reality TV personality revealed why he decided to be so candid about the bullying he experienced “early on in grade school and even in high school.”
“[The rumors] came back up when I was the Bachelor,” he admitted. “I think it was very easy for fans and very easy for people to just — [when] they don’t understand something or if they don’t agree with somebody, they have to, in their mind, get from point A to point B. So point B is, ‘Oh, he’s gay. That’s why he’s a virgin. He’s just hiding it from us.'”
While Randolph has been a staunch supporter of her boyfriend’s powerful revelations in his book, she also stood strongly beside him as he battled the novel coronavirus. When Underwood celebrated his “full recovery” from the illness earlier this month, he made sure to give a loving shout-out to his caring girlfriend.
“I just want to take a second and thank this beautiful woman and her family for taking such good care of me. Not only physically, but mentally too (and I’m probably the most high maintenance patient),” he wrote via Instagram. “She’s hardworking, passionate, understanding, kind and has the biggest heart. Her family opened up their doors to us while we were in quarantine and through everything we stuck together.”
With reporting by Nicholas Hautman
