Colton Underwood Explains Why He Feels '75% Gay' to His 'Bachelor' Ex Hannah Brown

The former 'Bachelor' leading man had a candid chat with his former on-screen paramour to dish on why she suspected he might not be straight — and his husband's shock that viewers didn't pick up hints

Colton Underwood is opening up about his sexuality and his past dating on reality television.

The Bachelor alum — who came out as gay in 2021 — explained why he labels himself as “75% gay” in a recent conversation with ex Hannah Brown, as they discussed when she started to question Underwood's sexuality and how his husband Jordan C. Brown couldn't believe viewers didn't catch on.

“I still identify as a gay man, but on the spectrum, I would say I’m 75% gay,” Underwood, 31, shared with Brown, 28, on Wednesday’s episode of her Better Tomorrow podcast.

He explained that “there’s still an attraction and appreciation and emotional connection that I could still have with women, but I don’t want to pursue that.”

Related: Colton Underwood Opens Up About Relationship with Boyfriend Jordan C. Brown: 'I'm the Luckiest'

“That’s not my life partner,” continued Underwood. “My life partner is Jordan, a man, and that’s what I’ve always wanted, but I never felt comfortable saying that and I honestly didn’t even know that was the case until I sat with it and really figured it out.”

“But if I was to break it down into percentages, give or take, that’s about where it’s at,” he noted of his sexual identity. “That might be confusing to some people, but I think that’s where masculine and feminine energy, the sliding scale and it changes — I think that’s the easiest way to explain my sexuality,”

Brown — who dated Underwood as a contestant on his season of The Bachelor in 2019  — then inquired if he was “ever truly in love with a woman” now that he is married and can look back on his journey towards understanding and coming to terms with his sexuality.

Related: Savannah Chrisley Tells Colton Underwood 'I Knew You Were Gay' After Revealing They Once Dated

“Yes, and they’ve made me a better partner for my husband,” the Coming Out Colton star said. “That is a 100% true statement.”

He added, “I feel like I have been in love multiple times and with different women and I’ve taken things from those relationships and applied them to my relationship with my husband."

Noting that he has since reflected on those relationships and put in the “self work,” Underwood shared with the former Bachelorette, “I took bits and pieces of what I wanted from my relationship with women and just put it into a relationship with a man.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Underwood wed husband Brown, 38, in May after they first met at a party in Los Angeles in April 2021. The pair got engaged in February 2022 in Big Sur, California.

"I've never been more sure about something,” Underwood told PEOPLE at the time. "He has the biggest heart and he's such a good friend to all of the people in his life. He goes out of his way to take care of his friends and his family. That speaks volumes. It was one of the first things that I noticed about him."

Meanwhile, since her turn on season 15 of The Bachelorette in 2019, Brown found love with now-fiancé Adam Woolard. The pair got engaged late last month after they began dating in 2021.

“It’s been the accumulation of moments that have made me feel loved and seen and accepted in a way I never have,” Brown told PEOPLE of her relationship with Woolard at the time of their engagement.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.