ABC/John Fleenor
‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Star Nicole Lopez-Alvar Reminds Fans ‘We Are Worthy’ After Clay Harbor Split
Know your worth, girl! Nicole Lopez-Alvar spoke out after her split with Clay Harbor during the Bachelor in Paradise finale on September 17. They were one of four couples who made it to decision day, but the Miami babe walked away from the football player after he couldn’t say that he was falling in love with her. While the episode was airing, Clay admitted on Instagram, “I didn’t see myself getting engaged after 16 days of exclusive dating.” Nicole’s post seemingly responds with the real reason she decided to end their romance.
“First and foremost, congratulations to my amazing friends and TV family who found love in Paradise. This is what Paradise is all about,” she said in an Instagram post referring to the couples who are still together: Katie Morton and Chris Bukowski, Demi Burnett and Kristian Haggerty, Hannah Godwin and Dylan Barbour and Tayshia Adams and John Paul Jones. “We put our lives on hold for the chance of finding someone who completes us. Yes, this show accelerates every relationship — but we all embark on this wild, vulnerable, and unconventional journey knowing it’s worth it. True love always is.”
She continued by driving home the whole point of her lengthy post. “While there is so much I want to share with you all, there is a message that I need to share that is far more important than me. Ladies, we don’t have to put up with anything less than wonderful. We are worthy of someone’s complete and all-encompassing respect, time, love, honesty and energy.”
Clay and Nicole were an item throughout most of their time in Mexico, and the athlete seemed like he was all in. However, as the weeks trickled by, he showed some fear of committing once the show was over. In her post, the former contestant from Colton Underwood‘s season explained that her leaving him wasn’t because he didn’t want to propose, it was that she felt like he wasn’t being completely truthful about his intentions.
“When a man’s actions don’t line up with his words, when a man’s promises fall flat and when a man dares to string you along (whether it’s for 16 days or for [eight] months) knowing very well he does not see a future with you — we are better off on our own than loving a man who doesn’t know what he has when he has it,” she wrote, referencing his previous relationship with Angela Amezcua. Clay and Angela dated for eight months last year. Although they talked about moving in together and having kids, the reality stud admitted that he never dropped the L-bomb while they were together.
Nicole closed out her post by noting that sometimes walking away is the best thing to do. “I know it’s scary, but sometimes, the bravest thing we can ever do is love ourselves first. If that means to run, then run,” she acknowledged. “I went into this experience with my heart wide open. I knew I could be setting myself up for heartache. But if there’s anything this past year on The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise has taught me, it’s that I’m stronger than I give myself credit for. I don’t regret a single moment.”
Nicole didn’t get engaged in Paradise but she definitely found (self) love!
