- Colton Underwood apologized to Cassie Randolph after coming out as gay on "Good Morning America."
- Underwood picked Randolph as the winner on his "Bachelor" season, which aired in 2019.
- Randolph filed a restraining order against Underwood after they split in 2020. It was later dropped.
Colton Underwood apologized to his ex-girlfriend Cassie Randolph after coming out as gay on "Good Morning America."
In a pre-taped interview that aired on Wednesday morning, the former "Bachelor" star told Robin Roberts that he "ran from myself for a long time."
"I've hated myself for a long time," he added. "I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it, and the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know. I'm still nervous. It's been a journey for sure."
But the segment also touched on the tumultuous end of Underwood's relationship with Randolph, who he picked on the finale of "The Bachelor," which aired in 2019. Months after their split, Randolph filed a restraining order against Underwood.
"I would like to say sorry for how things ended," Underwood said. "I messed up, I made a lot of bad choices."
Cassie Randolph filed a restraining order against Colton Underwood in September
Randolph claimed Underwood put a tracking device on her car and sent her numerous text messages, even pretending to be an anonymous stalker, according to court documents obtained by People at the time.
According to TMZ, Randolph claimed that her brother had found the device taped to the bottom of her car's back bumper, and said Underwood was trying to keep tabs on where she was going following their split.
Randolph also alleged that Underwood would drive to both her apartment in Los Angeles and her parents' home in Huntington Beach, California, in the middle of the night.
An anonymous source told People at the time that Randolph thought she and Underwood "were on good terms" after their break-up, but became terrified of his "text messages and the frightening behavior."
Randolph's temporary restraining order was granted. Then, in October, she filed a complaint against Underwood with the LA County Sheriff's Department.
Bryan Freedman, Randolph's lawyer, told TMZ in October that Randolph initially wanted to "try and work through this process privately in a manner that gives both her and Colton safety, security, and respect."
That same month, her temporary restraining order against Underwood was extended.
Randolph dropped her restraining order against Underwood in November. Underwood said in a statement to People that the former couple "were able to reach a private agreement."
"I do not believe Cassie did anything wrong in filing for the restraining orders and also believe she acted in good faith," he added.
Underwood said he 'loved everything about' Randolph after meeting her on 'The Bachelor'
The former NFL player told Roberts during his "Good Morning America" interview that he had truly been in love with Randolph and that it made things "harder and more confusing for me."
"I loved everything about her," he added. "I obviously had an internal fight going on. I'm sorry for any pain and emotional stress I caused. I wish it wouldn't have happened the way it did. I wish that I would've been courageous enough to fix myself before breaking anyone else."
Underwood never mentioned the restraining order directly during his interview, only telling Roberts he got into a "dark and bad" place in his personal life.
"I can list a bunch of different things, but they'd all be excuses," he said.
Underwood also apologized to the other contestants who appeared on his season of 'The Bachelor'
"Do I regret handling it the way I did? I do," he told Roberts. "I think I could have handled it better. I just wish I wouldn't have dragged people into my own mess of figuring out who I was. I can sit here and say I'm sorry to all those women, but I can also say thank you."
In a statement sent to Insider, the executive producers of "The Bachelor" franchise said they were "so inspired" by Underwood's "courage to embrace and pursue his authentic self."
"As firm believers in the power of love, we celebrate Colton's journey in the LGBTQIA+ community every step of the way," they added.
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