“Bachelorette” alum Katie Thurston admits she was raped: “The justice system failed me”

Katie Thurston, who starred in season 17 of The Bachelorette, shares her story as a rape victim and wants to help other victims of sexual assault by providing life-saving resources.

In an Instagram post on Friday, the 33-year-old revealed her experiences with sexual assault and detailed the consequences, including receiving a rape kit and support from a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART).

Although she did not provide details about the incident, Thurston had previously mentioned in a 2021 episode of The Bachelorette that she had once found herself in a non-consent situation ten years ago.

In her Instagram post, Thurston wrote: “My pain has meaning, my purpose has power, I want to focus on the positive.”

Thurston described in detail how she called 911 to report the rape, was taken by an officer to a special medical center, and underwent a SART examination with the assistance of a nurse and an attorney.

“I felt like a little lost child, vulnerable and scared. They explained the process to me in detail, asking for my consent and allowing me to refuse or change my mind at any time,” she said.

Some slides in her post showed resources for other survivors, including the book “Know My Name” by Chanel Miller. “Even though I could only read it in small doses before I got sick, I felt validated in every single chapter,” she said, adding that she thinks all teens should read the book.

In later slides, Thurston discussed how the justice system continues to fail victims every day, but stressed that she will not admit defeat.

“Change comes from failure. And the justice system failed me. And continues to fail thousands every day. But don’t give up,” she wrote.

Thurston, who ended her season of The Bachelorette engaged to Blake Moynes before splitting in 2021, later dated John Hershey after her season before they split in 2022.