Keeping his distance. Colton Underwood has not yet reached out to ex-girlfriend Aly Raisman after he seemingly spoke on The Bachelor about her being sexually abused.
Underwood, 27, told Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, February 5, that he hasn’t spoken to the Olympic gymnast, 24, because he wants to keep the focus on The Bachelor season 23 contestant Caelynn Miller-Keyes, who opened up to him about being raped in college on a recent episode of the reality series.
“The one thing that I will speak on is Caelynn and how powerful and how strong and brave she is,” the former NFL player told the outlet. “It still was so emotional for not only me to watch back, but I’m sure for her as well.”
Miller-Keyes, 23, told Underwood on the January 28 episode of the ABC show that she was sexually assaulted during her sophomore year at Virginia Commonwealth University and called the experience “the most difficult thing in the world.” Underwood listened as the pageant queen tearfully shared her story and then told her that his “first love” was also a survivor of sexual abuse.
While the former Bachelorette season 14 contestant didn’t name Raisman, whom he dated from August 2016 to April 2017, many took his anecdote to be about her, as she has been open about being a “victim of sexual abuse” at the hands of Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics national team doctor.
Nassar was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by more than 130 women, including Olympians Jordyn Wieber, Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas and McKayla Maroney. In November 2017, he pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual assault of minors and is now serving a 175-year prison sentence for child molestation, which Raisman previously said is “really not enough.”
“It’s like he got one year for each person,” the Fierce author told Us Weekly exclusively in January 2018. “He’s gonna die in jail, but any number is never enough. But I’m glad because so many people are watching and I hope that it does set an example to all the other abusers out there that their time is up and that abuse is never okay.”
The Bachelor airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
