Hannah Brown said she finally feels like she's in control of her life after all the crazy drama that unfolded on her season of The Bachelorette. From pageants to dating on television to, now, dancing on television, Brown hasn't had much time to unwind and reflect. But away from the Dancing with the Stars stage, she's making time for herself, reclaiming her identity and newfound sense of self.
The Alabama native, who turns 25 this week, has been open about the challenges she's faced in the wake of a journey on The Bachelorette that didn't end with a man by her side. After a proposal rooted in dishonesty and a not-so-secret rendezvous with America's Adonis that failed to progress past night one, the time off before Dancing with the Stars' premiere has been necessary for Brown. While she hasn't rested physically, she's used her brief hiatus to focus on what she wants out of life at the moment. As she's stated over and over again, that vision of her immediate future doesn't need to include a husband. Brown is cha-cha-ing her way into another adventure, looking forward to an endeavor that may put her body to the test, but will be way less emotionally taxing than The Bachelorette.
Brown told Us Weekly she is now finally regaining authority of her life after an eventful year, to say the least. She said she's needed to ask herself, "Who is [the] Hannah Brown that’s not a pageant queen, is not a contestant on a dating show and is not The Bachelorette?" To find the answer, Brown has leaned on close friends, like Bachelor in Paradise standout Demi Burnett, and her family in Alabama. She also said she has friends from her season of The Bachelorette who have supported her as she's transitioned from dating a mansion full of men on national television to enjoying the single life in relative anonymity.
That being said, Brown will constantly be pestered about dating speculation until she finds a boyfriend because such is the nature of the (Hannah) beast when one becomes the lead of The Bachelor franchise. She's even been asked about a possible romance with her Dancing with the Stars partner, Alan Bersten. While Brown understands that her fans want her to find love, she's content to enjoy the ride without balancing a relationship. She told Us, “I’m not focused on my love life. I think you never know when you’re going to meet somebody and where that’s going to be. But for me, that’s just not my main priority."
The Bachelorette can often get complicated and messy because there's always at least one guy who comes on the show and speaks about the surrounding men as competition. Brown's former fiancé admitted that this was his outlook, and it was one of the many, many factors that led to the engagement's termination. Dancing With the Stars is far more cut and dry. It is a competition in which every celebrity is there for the same end goal: to win. And while this season has generated more pre-show headlines than most, rest assured that Brown is under far less stress in this role than her previous post at the Bachelor Mansion. Her feet, however, may beg to disagree.
Source: Us, Hannah Brown