Former Bachelorette lead Gabby Windey has revealed that she is in a relationship with a woman.
The reality TV personality opened up about her sexuality and announced her relationship with girlfriend, writer and comedian Robby Hoffman, with an Instagram caption that said: “Told you I’m a girl’s girl!"
On her Instagram Story, Windey acknowledged that, while she loves to “stir the pot and tease,” she wanted to wait until she was ready to share the news. She shared that the relationship has been “truly the best experience over these last three months” and that she feels like her relationship is unlike any others she’s been in before.
According to Windey, she decided to share the personal news because she wanted to live her life “honestly” and have her followers along with her for the ride.
Windey also addressed her sexuality on The View, where she admitted that she’d kept her relationship “a little more private because it is a bigger story and a bigger conversation”.
The View host Sunny Hostin reacted to Windey’s announcement in shock and called it “a twist,” to which Windey replied that she herself didn’t see it coming.
“I think it was always a whisper in me that just got louder and louder, and I didn’t really know to pay attention to it,” Windey explained. “I think, you know, when this happens, there’s some shame, obviously, surrounding it.”
She continued: “So I think I had to, a little bit, navigate through the shame, like, what is it? Where is it coming from? But ultimately, like I said, I always just want to kind of like, do me, do what I want, figure it out later.”
Joy Behar, another host of the talk show, then asked Windey to clarify what this means for her in terms of her sexuality: “So is it girls now? That’s it, girls?”
“I think so,” Windey confirmed. “I think it’s just like, my girl...”
Windey started out as one of the finalists and a fan favourite from Clayton Echard’s season of The Bachelor, and returned to the franchise as a co-lead for Season 19 of The Bachelorette alongside her fellow finalist Rachel Recchia.
At the end of the season, Windey walked away with an engagement to Erich Schwer, but the couple ultimately announced their breakup a few months after the season aired, while Windey was performing as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars.
While Windey may be the first Bachelorette lead to come out, she isn’t the first Bachelor contestant to have dated women. In May 2022, Becca Tilley from both Chris Soules’ and Ben Higgins’ season of The Bachelor, publicly revealed that she was in a relationship with former Disney Channel star and queer pop artist, Hailey Kiyoko. Meanwhile, Demi Burnett from Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor, broke the mould as one-half of the franchise’s first same-sex couple on Bachelor in Paradise.
Like her fellow Bachelor Nation ladies, Windey has been met with an outpour of public support since announcing her new relationship.
Her fellow Bachelorette, Rachel Recchia, commented on Windey’s Instagram post and wrote: “Love you with my entire heart and soul,” while former Bachelor lead Ben Higgins wrote: “Well son of a biscuit this is real beautiful.”
