Before Hannah Brown made her mark on Bachelor Nation, she had a different idea of the type of person who appeared on the reality show.
The former Bachelorette, 25, revealed in an interview with Marie Claire that she thought the ABC reality show “was for losers” before trying to win over Colton Underwood on season 23 of The Bachelor.
“I didn’t aspire to be on The Bachelor. I didn’t watch the show,” she admitted, adding, “I thought it was for losers truly.”
Five weeks after getting engaged to Bachelorette finalist Jed Wyatt, Brown broke things off because she found out he had lied about having a girlfriend when he went on the show.
And while fans hoped she might rekindle things with her runner-up Tyler Cameron, he had been rumored to be dating supermodel Gigi Hadid.
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Brown also told Marie Claire about one of the most nerve-racking aspects of her life after the matchmaking series: soaring into the public eye on social media.
“Getting Instagram followers when I got back home was freaking me out,” she said. “Everybody gains followers, but it was like, ‘Okay, I’m about to have a life with another human, and that’s what I’m going to be focusing on.’ And that didn’t happen.”
Brown added, “So now I have all these random humans who are really interested in me and what I have to offer. And I’m like, ‘I actually have a lot to offer, don’t I?’ “
Following her emotional roller coaster on The Bachelorette, the former pageant queen joined the season 28 cast of Dancing with the Stars.
After nailing her first performance during the show’s season premiere, scoring a 20/30 for her cha-cha with Alan Bersten, Brown told PEOPLE that rehearsals have been no easy feat.
“Rehearsals have been really hard for me,” she said. “And it’s not just trying to learn the cha-cha. It’s all the emotions that come with just being in this experience and the experience I’ve been in the past year.”
“Going from The Bachelorette to being on Dancing with the Stars, I’m having to work through some things,” she continued. “I’m so thankful that Alan has been there and has been patient with me. It has been tough. I’m really excited to see the growth that I have to just move forward doing the show.”
Speaking to PEOPLE Now after the cast announcement last month, Brown said she looks forward to challenging herself on the show — and is “totally focused on Hannah and with this new chapter in my life.”
