Clare Crawley has been crowned the new Bachelorette for Season 16 of the reality dating show.
Crawley, 38, was the runner-up on Juan Pablo Galavis’s season of The Bachelor before heading to Bachelor in Paradise for seasons 1 and 2.
She did find love when she went on The Bachelor Winter Games in 2018 with Benoit Beauséjour-Savard.
Crawley and Beauséjour-Savard got engaged in February 2018 but they split up almost a month later.
“I’m so excited,” Crawley told People of being cast as the next star. “I’ve gone through a lot of personal growth in the last couple of years. And my goal has always been to find happiness — and love.”
Crawley is a hairstylist from Sacramento, Calif., who loves spending her days playing with her two dogs Elby and Honey.
She looks up to her late father as an example of the kind of man she hopes to marry — someone strong and compassionate who can live life to the fullest.
Crawley, who will be turning 39 years old during production, is the oldest Bachelorette in the franchise’s 17-year history.
She announced the news of her lead during Good Morning America on Monday.
“I literally just found out,” Crawley said. “So unexpected, can you believe this? Six years later? What is happening?”
She also addressed her age, saying: “I feel like a lot of people put it out there as this negative thing. For me, it’s just more years under my belt. More years learning and knowing what I want and what I won’t settle for.”
When discussing what she’d like in a partner, Crawley said she wants “a man that will take off his armour.”
“I want a man that is strong but is willing to take off the body armour, open themselves up and be vulnerable,” she said. “I think that is some serious strength right there.”
Fans of the show took to Twitter to discuss the new Bachelorette.
Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette premieres on May 18.
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