The Truth About Clare Crawley And Michelle Money's Friendship
The truth about Clare Crawley and Michelle Money's friendship is that they've been buddies since 2014, before they were both part of Bachelor in Paradise (via Us Weekly). Nowadays, Clare needs her friends more than ever, since she's gotten hammered by Chris Harrison, the media, and fans for falling in love so quickly with Dale Moss!
Michelle spilled the latest news about her pal on the Here for the Right Reasons podcast in late October 2020: "When I spoke to Clare the other day, she was really struggling, having a hard time. [But] this is what's amazing about Clare. She's like, 'All these people that are giving me hate, I just want to help them heal. I want to help them.'"
The former Bachelor Nation bad girl stood up for her friend in the Right Reasons interview. Michelle noted that The Bachelorette's editing made it look like Clare spent more time with Dale than with the other contestants, claiming, "That's what frustrating, you don't get to see the whole story. The way that they're editing this story line is so out of context, it's just so frustrating as her friend."
Read on to find out more about Clare and Michelle's friendship, and how the Bachelorette star is doing under all the pressure.
Just like Clare Crawley, Michelle Money has been judged by 'Bachelor' Nation
Bachelorette Clare Crawley has endured an overwhelmingly negative reaction this season. The haters have piled on Clare for falling so hard for Dale Moss, creating a Bachelorette tsunami not seen since Hannah Brown picked Jed Wyatt! Michelle Money understands how it feels to be on the receiving end of Bachelor fan fury. Michelle stirred the pot during Season 15 of The Bachelor with Brad Womack.
In a July 2020 Instagram video, Michelle kept it real about her time on The Bachelor. Even after 10 years, the former contestant said she still feels "immense stress" because she was positioned as the villain. Michelle's Instagram message wasn't all dark, and that the experience on the reality show also brought her "freedom."
The sudden fame of a successful reality show can wreak havoc on anyone. A July 2020 Refinery 29 article outlined some of reality TV contestants' mental health issues, especially those portrayed as villains. In the article, Dr. Walter J. Torres weighed in about the consequences of severe public shaming: "[It] has been shown empirically to plunge individuals into major depressions, suicidal states, and severe anxiety, including post-traumatic stress disorder."
It's a good thing Clare has a friend like Michelle to help her push past all the negativity, not to mention support from her man, Dale!