Katie Thurston admits she was raped

Katie Thurston spoke about something extremely personal and, unfortunately, extremely painful.

On Friday, the former Bachelorette lead actress announced to the public that she had been the victim of a sexual assault.

In a candid Instagram post, Thurston detailed her experiences after the rape, which included obtaining a rape kit and receiving support from a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART).

She did not elaborate on the incident or when it occurred.

“My pain has meaning, my purpose has power, I want to focus on the positive,” Thurston wrote on the first slide of her account at the time, and continued:

“The justice system fails victims every day. I refuse to feel defeated by the strength I needed to stand up for myself. I hope my experience helps victims feel the strength and support they need.

“Although I am not yet ready to share my story, I want to share the valuable resources that saved my life.”

Thurston, who previously said that The Bachelorette series had a major impact on her mental health, anchored the franchise in 2021.

In this latest admission, she continued:

“I called 911 to report my rape. They sent an officer to take my statement and then drove me to a special medical center to do a SART exam…

“I felt like a little lost child, vulnerable and scared.

“They explained the process to me in detail, asked for my consent during the process and gave me the opportunity to refuse or change my mind at any time.”

Thurston accepted a marriage proposal from Blake Moynes to end her season… but then dated contestant John Hersey and Moynes called off their engagement.

She and Hersey separated in the summer of 2022.

But back to her terrible experience…

“I had blood drawn to test for STDs, drugs and my blood alcohol content,” Thurston wrote on social media about the aftermath of the attack.

“I was given Plan B, Rocephin (a shot for bacterial infections), Azithromycin (to treat possible sexually transmitted diseases) and Truvada and nPEP for a month (to treat possible HIV infection).”

She and her supporters also know that in San Diego, this is free for everyone, even without health insurance.

The former reality star said she has been provided with digital tools to help her track the results of her medical tests.

“It would take my kit four months to complete its cycle. Nothing could move until that was done, so I was able to get psychological help in the meantime,” Thurston wrote.

One particularly vulnerable slide read: “I have done everything I was supposed to do as a rape victim. ‘Here are my texts, my calls, my photos, my videos, names, witnesses, locations, social media, timestamps, surveillance footage, DNA, my body.’

This slide concluded with:

“The warning ‘a guilty verdict is harsh in a criminal court’ echoed throughout the months, like an annoying parrot that had to be kept. And no matter how many times I heard it, I was still not prepared to let it stop me. And yet, without warning, I was.”

Thurston had already admitted in a 2021 episode of “Bachelorette” that she had been “involved in a non-consensual situation” on New Year’s Eve ten years earlier, although it is not clear whether that incident is related to today’s one.

Thurston was a contestant on “The Bachelor” (see above) before she got the role of “Bachelorette”.

After her Instagram post went viral, Katie shared a statement to Entertainment Tonight:

“I have received a lot of support from my community, which has enabled me to stay strong over the past seven months.

“Although the outcome is disappointing, I am at peace and can give meaning to any pain. I hope to help other victims of sexual assault.”