Not looking back! Tayshia Adams‘ divorce from ex-husband Josh Bourelle might play a big role in her dramatic turn on The Bachelorette, but she’s still on “cloud nine.”
The 30-year-old California native dished about her journey on season 16 of the ABC dating series following Clare Crawley‘s engagement to Dale Moss during the Thursday, November 5, episode. As she prepared to make her highly-anticipated debut at La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs, California, Adams revealed that she didn’t hear from Bachelor Nation exes Colton Underwood and John Paul Jones — or from Bourelle.
“Just let a girl live,” she teased while speaking with Us Weekly exclusively on Monday, November 9.
Adams and the roofing contractor were together for six years before they tied the knot in February 2016. After less than two years of marriage, Bourelle filed for divorce in October 2017. The former phlebotomist later had her maiden name restored after finalizing her divorce in November 2017. Earlier this year, the reality TV star opened up about trying to salvage her marriage before finally calling it quits.
“When things were getting really bad, we were like, OK, we need to go see a counselor,” Adams recalled during an October episode of the “Click Bait” podcast. “Actually, that was my doing, because I knew I needed to do absolutely everything in order to know that was the end of the road. … At that point, you kind of walk through some things and you try as hard as you can, but you can’t force someone to love you.”
Though her first marriage didn’t work out, Adams hasn’t closed herself off to the possibility of finding The One — again. While meeting her lucky suitors, the former Bachelor contestant admitted it wasn’t difficult to be honest about her divorce.
“It’s not hard at all [to talk about] because it’s definitely something that I’ve experienced in the past and it led me to today,” she told Us. “But I don’t want it to define me because it doesn’t define me. It’s just something that I grew from and I learned from.”
In a dramatic new Bachelorette teaser, Adams told the men vying for her heart that she was ready to “really dive in deep and find my life partner” after getting “married and divorced at a really young age.” Speaking directly to the camera, Adams later admitted through tears that “the fear of divorce” would always haunt her.
Despite her reservations about pursuing another engagement, the Bachelor in Paradise alum was able to use her past experience to help guide her to her perfect match.
“Having been married before, I feel like … I’m not just going to do anything just to do something. I’m not going to do it because I feel like I need to or do this and that. I’m going to do it because it’s the right thing to do, and I’m excited and happy,” she told Us. “If it were to happen, it’d be with the right sentiment.”
The Bachelorette airs on ABC Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
Listen to Here For the Right Reasons to get inside scoop about the Bachelor franchise and exclusive interviews from contestants