ABC/Craig Sjodin Katie Thurston at a rose ceremony on 'The Bachelorette.'
STOP! Spoilers on season 17 of “The Bachelorette” below.
Katie Thurston is opening up about her family on “The Bachelorette,” after a fake wedding during her one-on-one date with Justin Glaze stirred up feelings about her late father.
“To walk down the aisle today, even in our imaginary world, it does bring up a lot of pain,” Thurston told Glaze during the night portion of their date. “You know, my dad won’t be able to do that for me. Even when it comes down to a proposal, you know, he’s not around to give his blessing.”
Thurston first shared that her dad died on Matt James’ season of “The Bachelor.” While it is something she has discussed throughout the season, the 30-year-old revealed she learned shortly before his death that he was not her biological father.
“It’s hard, because you know I am sitting here saying ‘Love your family. Appreciate that it’s such a gift,’” the bank marketing manager said. “And this biological father, you know, he wants to be in my life as a dad. But how do I build a relationship with this man I know nothing about while also mourning the passing of the man who raised me?”
She continued. “Any time, any time I try to get close with him, it’s just a reminder of the fact that my dad who raised me is no longer here.”
Thurston’s Dad Died in 2012
Thurston’s dad died in 2012, according to The Cinemaholic. She first discussed his death with former co-star Sarah Trott, who at the time self-eliminated from Matt James’ season of “The Bachelor.”
After Trott ruffled feathers for crashing a group date she was not on, she sat down with Thurston to reveal she was planning to leave the dating competition to be with her dad battling ALS. It was a decision that Thurston supported.
“I 100% encourage you to be with him,” she said. “I understand that more than I would like to. I missed out on my goodbye to my dad. I would never want that for you.”
Thurston Bonded with Greg Grippo Over Their Late Fathers
Thurston’s first one-on-one date of the season was with early frontrunner Greg Grippo. The pair went camping – an activity she often did with her dad. While she opened up about her late father during the day portion, Grippo revealed during dinner that he too lost his father two years ago.
“One day we’re at a Knicks game, the next day I got a call he has stage four cancer,” Grippo revealed. Discussing their date, he added, “For me, it brought back a lot of memories because my best memories are my dad waking me up, you know, at 6 a.m. asking me to go fishing with him.”
His father’s death has factored into his dating life. As he explained, “It does hurt a lot that he’s not going to see the girl that I marry. … You know seeing my mom without my dad and ever since my dad died, it has been hard giving myself to someone.”
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