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The Bachelor’s Grant Ellis and Juliana Pasquarosa Share Relationship Update During ‘ATFR’ Special
The Bachelor star Grant Ellis got engaged to contestant Juliana Pasquarosa during the season 29 finale on Monday, March 24. After fans watched him get down on one knee, the pair shared an update about their relationship during the After the Final Rose special.
During the After the Final Rose special, Grant said that he is “blessed” at 31 to have found The One. “It was all worth it,” he said of his journey. “To find someone who is your life partner is truly hard, so it was worth it.”
Juliana came out onto the stage to greet her fiancé. “This moment does feel so surreal,” she gushed. “The whole journey has been a bit like a fever dream.”
She said that she was “so excited to get dinner and have a glass of wine” with Grant and to not have to be in hiding anymore while the show was airing. She said that over the past few months, her and Grant “spent time connecting and really getting to know each other.”
They also revealed that Grant was moving to Boston to be with Juliana. Jesse Palmer also announced that the show was gifting the happy couple a trip to Italy.
Fans watched the couple get engaged after Grant sent runner-up Litia Garr home earlier in the finale episode.
While Grant and Juliana had undeniable chemistry from the very beginning of the show, their connection grew even stronger when they went on their first one-on-one date in Scotland. They picked out their outfits with the help of a royal stylist during the beginning of the date, and Grant and Juliana later attended a Bridgerton-themed ball at a castle.
The first part of the date was playful, though Juliana and Grant later had the chance to have a more serious conversation during an intimate dinner. Juliana even opened up about a family member who struggled with addiction, which she said made her feel alone during her childhood.
“Growing up, I was put in a difficult position where someone really close to me had a problem with addiction. It took the time away from me as a small kid from growing up in the loving family I am so appreciative [of] today — I didn’t really have that back then,” she told Grant. “I think the struggle has made me stronger. That is why I come off as happy all the time … I’m afraid of the darkness that I saw. I’m afraid of going back there.”
Juliana said that people tend to view her as a positive and bubbly person, and she credited the experience for helping her learn the healthy coping mechanism. “Laughing and smiling is a coping mechanism for me in a lot of ways,” she said.
Grant – who had been open about his father’s struggles with addiction – was very receptive of Juliana’s story and said that her sharing the experience helped him feel closer to him. “It’s like I was looking at a reflection of myself,” he told the cameras, noting that they had similar experiences.
The couple’s romance continued to grow when they traveled to Newton, Massachusetts, to meet her family during her hometown date.
After the couple made pizzas at a local pizzeria, Grant and Juliana got a chance to meet her parents, her sister and several extended family members. Her father initially expressed his concerns about Grant’s intentions, though the former basketball player insisted he was taking the process seriously.
Their serious conversations continued during the Fantasy Suite week, in which Juliana opened up about how she was cheated on in a past relationship. “It did, like, a lot of damage to me that’s hard to talk about and admit,” she told Grant. “You know, it broke me to the point that I had to walk away.”
Juliana said she was “a little broken” due to her ex’s infidelity, and she said she was “still working to fix myself.”
“I look at you and I’m like who … somebody messed up letting you down like that,” Grant told her. “Where somebody else messed up, I see treasure.”
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