Hannah Brown Says She Doesn’t Think Jed Wyatt Is a 'Bad Person,' but He Was 'Cowardly' and 'Selfish'

Aili Nahas

She may have been blindsided by the revelation that her fiancé was dishonest about his past, but Bachelorette star Hannah Brown, who split from Jed Wyatt last month, isn’t holding any grudges.

“I don’t think Jed is a bad person,” Brown tells PEOPLE exclusively. “But I deserved a lot better.”

The 24-year-old Bachelorette says what shook her the most about Wyatt, who failed to tell her that he had a girlfriend when he went on the show, was that his actions went against everything she holds dear in a relationship.

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Mark Bourdillon/ABC
Mark Bourdillon/ABC

“I believe the foundation of love is based on honesty and truth,” she says. “And from the very first night, I made that very clear. I’m honest to a fault.”

Continues Brown: “It’s hard for [Jed] sometimes, but I told him that half-truths and lies get you nowhere. Honesty, even though sometimes it may hurt, doesn’t have the effect that this has had. I don’t think he meant anything malicious, but he was really cowardly.”

RELATED: Hannah Brown’s Relationship with Jed Wyatt Was Struggling Before His Girlfriend Came Forward

Wyatt’s actions also meant that Brown wasn’t able to make a fully informed decision, a situation she now regrets.

“Jed loved me and didn’t want to lose me, and he knew that [telling the truth about his lies] would rock me. So, he took that decision away from me. If he [had told me earlier], who knows what I would have done? It was selfish.”

Peter Yang
Peter Yang

RELATED: All About the Engagement Ring Jed Wyatt Gave Hannah Brown Before They Split Amid Cheating Scandal

And Brown says Wyatt knew that she had struggled with her choice between her three final men.

“He knew that between Peter [Weber], Tyler [Cameron] and Jed, I could see a life with all three of them,” she says. “But he took that choice away from me. It’s sad, and it’s not fair. If he had told me earlier, who knows what would have happened.”