ABC, Courtesy of Kelsey Fankhauser/TikTok
‘The Bachelorette’ Contestant Nate Mitchell’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Cheating
Handing out more than one rose at a time? The Bachelorette season 19 contestant Nate Mitchell is under heat after a woman claiming to be his ex-girlfriend named Kelsey Fankhauser claimed that he allegedly cheated on her during their relationship, right before he went on the show. However, the Illinois native seemingly has another side to the story. Keep reading to learn more about the alleged relationship and Nate’s response.
What Did Kelsey Fankhauser Say about Nate Mitchell?
After Nate went on his one-on-one date with Bachelorette co-lead Gabby Windey, whom he pursues during season 19, a woman claiming to be his ex posted a TikTok video in July 2022 about her relationship with the electrical engineer. “I cried for a guy who …” the text began as the camera stayed on Kelsey’s face while Britney Spears’ “Shame On Me” played in the background. “Kept his kid a secret from me for 1.5 years when we were dating and I find out on reality TV,” the text concluded with a rose emoji.
Nate opened up about his daughter during his date with Gabby, in an attempt to be open and honest about his life outside of the show. “Like, a pocket of my heart just burst open the first time she said, ‘Dad,'” he told Gabby on the show. “I’m a girl dad 1,000 percent.”
While the video only received more than 10,000 views, Kelsea explained her full relationship timeline with blogger Reality Steve, who then posted the receipts on his blog in August 2022.
What Did Kelsey Fankhauser Tell Reality Steve?
After months of communicating, Kelsey shared pictures and dates from the beginning to the end of their alleged relationship, according to Reality Steve’s lengthy blog post. The pair met in January 2020 and seemingly started seriously dating for more than one year before he allegedly “ghosted” Kelsey “for a week” in July 2021.
The following month, a woman named Laree Starke reached out to Kelsey via Instagram DM to inform her that they were “heavily dating” in early 2021, according to screenshots sent to Reality Steve. Laree explained that she met Nate on Tinder, and they first met in January 2021. He took her on an early Valentine’s Day dinner date the following month, where she shared saved pictures from the evening.
Kelsey and Nate officially broke up in November 2021.
What Has Nate Mitchell Said About the Allegations?
A fan commented on one of his Instagram posts in August 2022, writing, “Eeeeeeeekkkkk you’re one of the talkers!!! I hope you learn from your experiences and stay true to your word. You’re a good guy, but why you playin’ girls?”
Nate responded to the comment hours later, writing, “Two sides to every story [prayer emoji] wish u the best.”
Nate did not immediately respond to Life & Style‘s request for comment.
The electrical engineer later apologized for his past actions during the “Men Tell All” special on August 29, explaining that he should have been “more communicative” to the women. He then asked for forgiveness, after claiming that he is not the man he once was before coming on the show.
He also admitted to hiding his daughter from Kelsey, as he was “unstable” during that time in his life. “I went through a pretty traumatizing time when I went through a divorce. Essentially, the foundation that was built around my daughter was pretty much crumbled,” he explained.
“The one thing that I protect the most on this Earth is my daughter. I would never bring her into a situation that I thought was dangerous, a situation that I feel is unstable,” he continued. “So, it made me put a wall up to protect my daughter from the instability of my life.”
What Has Bachelor Nation Said?
Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss also appeared to weigh in on the drama with an August 2022 Twitter post that read, “Don’t jump to conclusions about certain cast members based on mere allegations, as disturbing as they may be. I beg you to wait until all the facts come out before making any judgments.”
