Former Bachelor Star Colton Underwood Says His Dog Helped Him with 'Depression' and 'Anxiety'
Colton Underwood found solace in a furry friend while struggling with his depression and anxiety.
The former Bachelor star, 27, shared an Instagram Wednesday of himself and his dog, Sniper, and opened up about how his pup has helped him through tough times.
“These smiles say it all,” he wrote. “This dude doesn’t know how much he has helped me in his 14 years of life (103 in dog years) – through depression, anxiety and stressful situations having Sniper by my side has been the best remedy I could have ever hoped for.”
“Love you buddy, can’t wait to see what this next year has in store for us♥️🐾 my best friend,” the former reality star said to conclude the heartwarming post.
Underwood’s girlfriend and Bachelor season 23 winner Cassie Randolph commented on her man’s post, “Gah ❤️😭🐕.”
A post shared by Colton Underwood (@coltonunderwood) on Dec 17, 2019 at 7:38pm PST
The couple fell for each other during the most recent season of The Bachelor earlier this year, where they bucked franchise tradition by deciding to give their relationship a chance without getting engaged on the show. After the finale, Randolph moved to Los Angeles from her hometown of Huntington Beach to be closer to the former NFL player (who relocated from Denver earlier this year).
In September, Randolph, 24, shared a sweet selfie of the couple and a lengthy message on Instagram about the “scrutiny” she and Underwood have faced since their time on the ABC dating show.
“I remember posting this photo right after the finale & how excited we were to no longer be in hiding ❤️,” she captioned the snap. “I have also posted something I wrote addressing some rumors and an article that came out this week. A lot of you have been messaging me about it. Warning, it’s pretty long (actually I probably could have written even more, since it’s hard to put the perfect words to your feelings).”
In the message, Randolph explained that she and Underwood are “very happy” and “in a good place,” despite “current rumors circulating” about their relationship.
“Is our relationship perfect?” Randolph’s post continued. “No, it is very normal with its ups and downs and compromises. Despite the microscope on our relationship, we are trying to stay focused on what is important and grow in the direction of getting stronger and closer every day. We know that in order for us to work, we need to focus on each other and not the craziness that sometimes surrounds us, and stay grounded. We are good!”
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The month prior, Underwood told PEOPLE that he and Randolph have felt “a lot of pressure” from the public to rush into things after the show.
“It affected both us and our families,” Underwood said. “We sort of got ahead of it, and got on the same page by being like, ‘This is where we’re at. This is where we’re going to say we’re at,’ and not really just going along with what the franchise and what the expectations from the media and from the fans are.”
“I couldn’t be happier with where [Randolph and I] are at right now,” Underwood added. “We’re still dating and getting to know each other, and falling more and more in love every day. It’s been good. The further away we get from the end of the show, the more realistic our lives sort of go back to being. We really get to spend more quality time with each other.”
