We'll be the first to admit we didn't see this coming (until Osher dropped the bombshell this morning). After just four weeks on The Bachelor, hot favourite Megan Marx has walked out on Richie Strahan in the middle of an already-tense rose ceremony. On a night that saw three shiny new intruders crash the party, the 27-year-old from Western Australia also decided that Richie was not the man for her, and politely declined his offer of a rose.
Megan was seen as one of the front runners from the get-go, with her love of nature and down-to-earth demeanour making her seem more suited to Richie than most. The two shared a romantic date, a hot and heavy kiss and multiple private moments, but as Megan told us earlier, it wasn't meant to be - and where Richie was concerned, it was a case of "out of sight, out of mind." Scroll for her detailed explanation of why she walked.
POPSUGAR Australia: I'm so surprised by what happened! Can you please talk me through what happened on your end?
Megan: I went on that single date with Richie, had a really good time and really liked him. From that point, there wasn't really much more time spent together. I think that if you're going to fall in love with someone, you've got to spend time with them. [Laughs] Surprise! I got halfway through filming and thought, "This is just not going to happen for me. My feelings haven't developed at all, I can't see myself falling for this person." I wasn't hurt or upset or anything like that, maybe the experience just wasn't for me . . . So I decided to leave.
PS: Did you have feelings for him on that first date? Did your feelings lessen from then on, or just not grow from there?
Megan: When I first met Richie, I thought he was a pretty cool guy - we got along very well. And on our date I thought even more so, I liked this person a lot. But for me, the whole thing of "absence makes the heart grow fonder" wasn't the case. You've got to have that time to have your feelings develop, and for me it was like, "Nah, this is not happening." I spoke to a few of the girls and asked them, "Can you see yourself falling in love with this guy while you're here?" And their answers were 100 percent yes, or that they had already started to have those love feelings. For me it was like, man, I don't even think about this guy in my spare time.
PS: I really thought you were going to win for a while there! It's a pretty big decision to leave by choice, did you worry about doing that?
Megan: Not really. I think once I've made up my mind, I've made up my mind, especially when it comes to guys. I know when something's not right, and I don't regret at all having left, especially watching the show back now. When I first left, it was more that this environment isn't very conducive to love for me. Now, looking back, I can see that it's not just that, but also that Richie's not the right guy for me. I went on the show to meet a guy and possibly fall in love, and when I realised that wasn't going to happen . . . I think it's fate, because I was having a great time, all the girls are super cool and I love filming and the whole thing. I just felt it was kind of wrong, taking time away from the other girls and wasting Richie's time just didn't feel right.
PS: How did he react to your news?
Megan: I think he was pretty shocked, because it was during a rose ceremony. I think Richie and the audience get used to "Will you accept this rose?" being a rhetorical question, and then obviously I say no and it's like, "Whaaat?" So he seemed pretty shocked, but I took him outside and explained why and wished him all the best. He was a little bit shocked, but I feel like he respected my decision and he definitely didn't beg me to stay or anything, which I'm really glad about. That would've been awkward.
PS: It probably tells you that you made the right decision.
Megan: Yeah, that's right. I think I even said that in my single date, when I know something's not right for me, I'm quite happy to remove myself from that situation, and that's what I did.
PS: Do you think he was hurt? Or do you think he kind of knew?
Megan: I think he was surprised, but I really doubt that he was hurt. I don't think we knew each other well enough for him to be hurt. And he had 10 other girlfriends to comfort him, I'm sure he would've been absolutely fine!
PS: How did you find dating one guy who has 20 other 'girlfriends'?
Megan: I went into the experience knowing that I'm not a very jealous person, I'm pretty chill, I've never had envy issues or anything like that. So I didn't struggle with any of those feelings, it's super weird - anyone that tells you it's not weird is lying. And it's not that he's just dating 20 other girls, he's dating 20 of your friends. It's very bizarre.
PS: Did the girls try and convince you to stay or did they know you were serious about it?
Megan: No, I didn't tell anybody. I didn't tell the producers, I didn't tell any of the girls, the only person I told was Alex. I just wanted to keep it to myself because I didn't want there to be any pressure. It was also because I wanted to see how things go, and if I got to the rose ceremony and felt like maybe I'd stay a bit longer, I didn't want that pressure from people being like, "Well you don't even want to be here!" So I told Alex and she was very supportive. She didn't try and convince me to stay, which is fair enough! [Laughs] Good move, Alex, good move! But I think Alex also knew that I was pretty sure that it was what I wanted to do. So I think it was a bit of a shock for everybody there that I decided to leave.
PS: They must've been stunned!
Megan: Yeah. I felt really bad though, because I was hoping I'd be able to say goodbye. This is so funny . . . I took Richie outside to have a chat with him and explain everything, and then I gave him a hug goodbye and started to walk away and was like, "Oh no, I haven't said goodbye to the girls!" So I turned around and was going to go back inside and be like, "See ya!" But he had his head in his hands outside the door, and I was like, "This would be really awkward walking past him and saying goodbye." I turned around and saw him and thought, "Nah, I can't!" So I just sort of ran away.
PS: It must seem like a distant memory - you must be keen to see how it plays out on screen.
Megan: Yeah definitely. And you're right, it does feel a bit like a past life. It seemed like a very long time ago.
PS: Were you surprised to see those magazines reveal the spoiler this week?
Megan: I know, I know. I was really disappointed, because we've been keeping this a secret for so long, and for it to come out the week before is really sad.
PS: It must be really frustrating for you, having kept it quiet for so long.
Megan: I know! I've been keeping it a secret, I've been single this whole time because I hadn't wanted to tell people what happened. And then it all comes out and now I'm getting asked my everybody, "So did you walk out?" I'm like, "Oh you never know . . . "
PS: Going on a show like this, obviously the media dives into your family history. How did you feel being the subject of all that scrutiny for a while?
Megan: It was quite hard, because a lot of things I'd said about the situation were taken out of context and turned into something that it wasn't. So that was really hard, my main concern was how it would affect my family. I'd obviously put myself in a situation where people are going to be looking into my life, but I certainly didn't want to put people I cared about in that situation. That was a bit difficult, but it is what it is, and I feel like it's kind of passed a little bit now.
PS: So everyone's OK and everything is fine?
Megan: Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. I'm excited for the episode to air - it's almost like a bit of a 'moving on' situation as well.
PS: So you said you're single still?
Megan: Yes, I'm single!
PS: Do you know what kind of man you're looking for now?
Megan: I think I've never been the kind of girl with a list, like I don't walk around with a list and check it off. I'm just looking for someone I like - someone cool, I think you never know who you're going to be attracted to and who you're going to meet. I don't have a list of any kind, I kind of prefer things to happen a bit more naturally and organically than to have it be so forced.
PS: What's happening now for you? Do you go back to normal life or do you have other plans?
Megan: No, I was so excited when I left the show to just go back to normal life. I like my life, I like my work and where I live. I'll definitely be moving soon I'd say, but it's not necessarily for bigger and better things or anything like that. I'm a pretty chilled person and I just want to live my life as usual.
PS: Where will you be moving to?
Megan: I don't know, I'm giving myself till the end of the year and I'll make a decision then.
PS: Who do you think is going to win?
Megan: I think that there are a few dark horses. I think Rachael is one to watch. I was very close with Alex so I am hoping that she wins . . . but I don't know who wins! So we'll have to see what happens.