Auckland lawyer Danielle Beston’s Bachelorette journey has been, right from the beginning, shocking. When she first told her family and friends she was entering The Bachelor, no-one believed her – the decision was totally out of character for the self-confessed workaholic. And when she turned down a rose from Arthur Green (26) last week and voluntarily moved out of the Bachelorette mansion, Danielle (35) left both the remaining constestants and viewers gobsmacked.
“I know. I was surprised too!” she laughs. “I thought, here’s this amazing, good-looking, intelligent guy – who wouldn’t be attracted? But with chemistry, it’s either there or it’s not, and there was nothing between us.”
Danielle surprised herself by turning down Art’s rose, but she doesn’t regret her decision.
But though she didn’t find true love with Art, Danielle, who was the show’s oldest Bachelorette, says she’s gained so much more – confidence, acceptance and courage. “I’m so much braver after this experience,” the Singapore-born beauty explains. “Before, I never would have asked a guy out! But now if I saw someone I liked, I’d just do it.”
From barrister to Bachelorette, the last few months in Danielle’s life have been completely out of the ordinary, she admits. Obsessed with work after separating from her husband, the reserved and analytical Danielle realised her career-driven life was only going to continue if she didn’t make a change – and initially sceptical of online matchmaking and dating apps like Tinder, she decided to throw caution to the wind and enter the TV3 show.
“It really was one extreme to the other,” she smiles. “It’s great to have that independence as a woman, and to feel like I don’t need a man. But it’s still okay to want one!”
The biggest challenge, tells Danielle, wasn’t living in the mansion with 20 other girls, but learning to let go of taking control – a habit the champion accordion player and qualified scuba diver has picked up during her law career.
“Losing control was hard, but it was really freeing for me. Not knowing what was going to happen next was refreshing.”
And she insists that being a little older than the other contestants was actually an advantage on the show. “Certainly, in my life, I’ve been out with a lot of different types of people. How will you know who’s right for you unless you explore a lot of options? When I was younger, I had quite a few boxes to check. But now, I’m open to things I wouldn’t have been in the past. I have absolutely no regrets, and I’m looking forward to meeting someone new. Maybe I’ll try Tinder after all!”
