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Love means everything — on and off the tennis court. Joey Graziadei is taking center stage as the man looking for love on The Bachelor, which premieres January 22 on ABC. HollywoodLife spoke exclusively with Joey about becoming the Bachelor, and he reveals whether or not he hesitated before stepping into this position.
“I think that you have to think through the decision,” Joey, 28, said. “I wanted to make sure that I was fully ready, and I thought that I could do this. But if I’m being honest, pretty early on, when I was going through the process of it, like thinking about doing it, I knew that if the opportunity came, I was gonna say yes.”
Joey fell in love with Charity Lawson over the course of The Bachelorette season 20. In the end, Charity got engaged to Dotun Olubeko. Joey opened up about what he learned from his relationship with Charity and how it impacted him moving forward.
“I think that I always try to learn from any past relationship,” Joey noted. “One thing I learned from being with Charity and just from past relationships, in general, is how much I need someone that thinks of other people, is very understanding, is very kind, and I feel like when I connect with them, I can just feel that coming off of them at all times. So Charity had that. She was just a very sweet and kind person, and I know that’s something I’m looking for in the person that I want to be with.”
The tennis pro switched from suitor to the star of The Bachelor in just a few months. “You definitely have more control, but there’s also a lot more that comes with it,” he said about the switch. “There’s a lot more expectations. You obviously have a lot more time on the show, and it comes with its own territory. But I enjoyed it. I took as much as I could in stride, like I said, and it was a great experience at the end of the day.”
Joey admitted that the “hardest part” of being the Bachelor was the rose ceremonies because “you feel terrible.” He added, “These people put themselves out there, you make real connections, and it can end with just a snap of a finger. And I always try to do it with as much compassion as I could. But it’s a very tough time, and neither are easy. But I will say, the contestants have it a little worse.”
From the trailer, The Bachelor season 28 will be a roller coaster of emotions (and drama). Looking back, Joey told Hollywood Life that he has no regrets. “I’m not someone that likes to focus on regrets,” he said. “I know that I always did the best job that I could. I led with my heart. I was honest and true, and I don’t like to think about regretting anything because I know I made the best decisions I could at that time. And I’ll live with however it looks at the end of the day.”
When asked if he fell in love, Joey remained cryptic. “I’m happy right now,” Joey teased. He went on to add that he’s “100 percent” content with how his Bachelor journey ended. “I’m very happy, and I’m excited for everyone to see how the whole journey goes,” he said. The Bachelor season 28 will air Mondays on ABC.
This story originally appeared on Hollywoodlife
