The fans of The Bachelorette fans loved watching Ben Smith’s heartfelt conversation with Tayshia Adams and got curious to learn more about him. Ben’s charming personality didn’t go unnoticed during the time that he spent with Clare Crawley, but it was really after Tayshia walked in that he caught everyone’s eyes for good. But who would have thought that Ben with his “huge” personality was also hiding a huge backstory that could inspire thousands of fans? Let’s take a look at this army veteran and The Bachelorette star’s past, sister, grave injury, birthday, and brave battle with an eating disorder.
The Bachelor Nation’s hearts began melting for Ben Smith first during the art challenge group date, which took place on week 8 of The Bachelorette. While Ivan Hall called it “madness” and Blake Moynes made a giant phallus out of clay, season 16’s dark horse Ben did his own little nude presentation that left Tayshia overwhelmed. Ben “figuratively and literally” let his guard down to give it all to Tayshia and his The Bachelorette admirers in an intimate, emotional moment. And in an instance that is rare for most of the franchise’s men, Ben opened up about his eating disorder of 15 years to Tayshia. “The life I’ve lived is different than what you might assume," the ABC star Ben told Tayshia, making many fans wonder about his past.
Now a The Bachelorette superstar, 30-year-old Ben Smith from Venice, California resident was described as “a sweet Midwestern boy with Californian” good looks on his official interview with ABC. His Bachelorette bio also mentioned that, upon graduating from the United States Military Academy and The United States Army Ranger School, Ben suffered a “life-changing” back injury that shifted in his priorities. While ABC didn’t divulge more, they perhaps wanted Ben to talk about his difficulties himself to Clare, or in this case, Tayshia. “I found out what girls were when I was 15. I realized they don't like the fat kid. So I stopped eating. I started working out all the time,” Ben, whose birthday falls on August 8, had shared. This resulted in Ben losing 70 pounds, and him having bulimia for 10 years during his 20s. Ben also told Tayshia about his sister being the only person he couldn't hide the truth from, even though he kept it from everybody. “She saved my life,” he confessed.
During a recent episode of The Bachelorette, Ben Smith shed more light on his mental health journey and also come clean about what made him get into professional bodybuilding. When Tayshia claimed that he was holding back, Ben shared how he was raised in a household where he was expected to be perfect. StarsOffline reports that Ben’s parents, David and Julie, live in Carmel and that his father is a dentist. “My sister is the best person I know. She’s saved my life in more ways than one,” Ben told Tayshia. 2018 was a particularly rough year for Ben since he’d left his career after breaking his back pretty bad. “Through being very intentional and very aggressive with my therapy, the person you see before you today isn't that person,” Ben was seen saying to Tayshia.
As per his Instagram, The Bachelorette star Ben currently works at Bodybuilding Club and is also a nutrition coach. His sister Madalyn Marie Smith is a registered nurse and currently works at Providence Saint John’s Health Center while also pursuing her Nurse Practitioner program at UCLA, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Source: ABC, Stars Offline, Ben Smith's Instagram, Madalyn Smith's Instagram, Madalyn Smith's LinkedIn