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Taylor Frankie Paul Details Mental Health Struggle in Honest Message
Taylor Frankie Paul is accepting this new role.
As the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star takes the helm of the upcoming season of The Bachelorette, she explained that she sees the dating show as a fresh start.
As Taylor said in E! News’ exclusive teaser of the season, “I do believe I was gifted this for another chapter in my life.”
After all, much of the last decade of the 31-year-old’s life has been very public, including the ending of her six-year marriage to Tate Paul—with whom she shares kids Indy, 8, and Ocean, 5—and her breakup with on-again, off-again boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, which happened shortly after she gave birth to their 23-month-old son Ever.
“I’ve been criticized, I’ve been judged and I’ve been rejected,” Taylor continued in the teaser, “but anyone that takes the time to know me will see that I’m actually a genuine person and I mean well and a person that deserves another chance at love.”
Plus, she’s excited to be making Bachelor Nation history.
“Stepping into this role as a Bachelorette will be new for me,” the Mom-Toker explained. “I clearly don’t fit into the mold—I’m the first one not from the franchise. But I really admire all the women that stood before me.”
Ahead of Taylor’s bouquet of men being announced Feb. 23, she chatted with series host Jessie Palmer about how the contestants are “gentlemen" and teased that she had "chemistry with them.”
“You have to send people home, that’s part of this,” she said in the November interview. "So saying goodbye is hard. Being away from my family is also difficult. I’ve never been away at all, so this is new to me. But my most favorite part has been the unknown.”
Despite the mix of emotions involved as the Bachelorette, Taylor noted she does believe she will find love during her journey.
Disney/Sami Drasin
“It’s scary to say that,” she concluded, “because the last thing you want is to be heartbroken at the end of this when you want this to be a mutual feeling.”
Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette premieres on March 22 on ABC and Hulu.
Ahead of the premiere, read on to meet the cast of men vying for her love.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Trenten
The pro athlete, 35, lives in San Juan Capistrano, California.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Shane
The 28-year-old works as a private wealth planner in Atlanta, Georgia.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Michael Baba
The chiropractic healer, 32, lives in San Diego, California.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Doug
The 28-year-old lives in San Diego, California, where he works as an ocean lifeguard.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Richard
The photographer, 35, lives in Charleston, South Carolina.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Marcus
The 28-year-old creative director lives in Elmont, New York.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Ronn
The 28-year-old account executive lives in San Francisco, California.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Mike T
The brand protection manager, 36, lives in Lavallette, New Jersey.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Kevin
The 32-year-old works as a physical therapist in Miami, Florida.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Rod
The entrepreneur, 35, lives in Austin, Texas.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Matt
The 43-year-old dad works as a real estate broker in Carmel, Indiana.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Conrad
The startup founder, 32, lives in Santa Monica, California.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Malik
The tech executive, 30, lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Clayton
The 36-year-old is a singer/songwriter living in Nashville, Tennessee.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Brad
The 29-year-old self-proclaimed cowboy and entrepreneur lines in Newport Beach, California.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Casey
The mechanical engineer, 32, lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Johnnie
The former pro baseball player, 30, lives in Massapequa, New York.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Christopher
The 35-year-old is a business owner and single dad living in Vacaville, California.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Brandon
The 28-year-old is a single dad who works as a loan officer in Spearfish, South Dakota.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Aaron
The 32-year-old product manager joins the show from Valentine, Utah.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Josh
The sales manager, 32, lives in Provo, Utah.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Lew
The 32-year-old lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he works as an insurance tech founder.
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