The Next Bachelorette Is Clare Crawley!

Bachelor Nation, it’s official: We have our next Bachelorette!

Clare Crawley has been confirmed as the next lead of The Bachelorette.

The announcement was made Monday on Good Morning America, ahead of the conclusion to Peter Weber‘s season of The Bachelor next week.

“I literally just found out,” Crawley admitted. “So unexpected, can you believe this? Six years later? What is happening?”

RELATED: New Bachelorette Clare Crawley, 38, Says Her Age Is ‘an Asset’ in Search for Love

The 38-year-old also addressed her age — she has a few years on recent stars of the franchise — saying, “I feel like a lot of people put it out there as this negative thing. For me, it’s just more years under my belt. More years learning and knowing what I want and what I won’t settle for.”

Crawley also told the GMA co-hosts what she’s looking for, explaining, “I want a man that will take off his armor. I want a man that is strong but is willing to take off the body armor, open themselves up and be vulnerable. I think that is some serious strength right there.”

“The biggest thing for me is, honestly, it’s all what’s on the inside for me,” she later added. “The outside, if you line up all the guys I’ve dated in the past, there’s no one type physically. It’s more if they go out of their way for me, if they make me feel special. This is about me now. I’m ready for it.”

Fans were first introduced to Crawley in 2014 on season 18 of The Bachelor as she vied for Juan Pablo Galavis‘ heart. She made it to the final two before their heated split, during which time she told Galavis’ she’d “lost respect” for him.

On Monday, Crawley reflected on her fiery end with Galavis, saying, “I am that strong woman still, but even more so what is added to that is, like I said, taking off that armor and actually saying I’m strong enough to let someone in and be vulnerable and open up and share that with them.”

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She appeared on Bachelor in Paradise twice before getting another shot at love during The Bachelor Winter Games in 2018, when she ended up engaged to Benoit Beauséjour-Savard.

Their engagement came as a surprise to viewers, as despite seeing the pair connect during their time on the spinoff show, their relationship did not get off to a good start. At the time, Beauséjour-Savard was open about his feelings for Crawley, but she ended up telling him that she didn’t feel the same way and wanted to get to know German contestant Christian Rauch better.

The devastated French-Canadian left the show, but later proposed during The Bachelor Winter Games: World Tells All.

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They split two months later.

“It’s with a heavy heart that we have mutually decided to end our relationship,” Crawley said at the time. “We think the world of each other, and we were both hoping we could make this work.”

“I’m sorry that this may not be what you want to hear, but it’s our truth,” she added. “Just know there are no negative feelings here, we are simply two people who believed in love, and were open enough to give it a chance.”

Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette premieres May 18 on ABC. Share your thoughts in PEOPLE’s exclusive Facebook group for fans of the franchise.