For Clare Crawley, The Bachelorette did not prove to be the perfect place to fall in love.
But while it turned out her future husband was not in that room (nor was he handing out roses on The Bachelor, The Bachelor Winter Games or the Mexican beaches of Paradise), she knows she was there for the right reasons.
And that’s the message she plans to deliver to her and husband Ryan Dawkins‘ 9-month-old daughter Rowen one day.
“I want to always be the example of real and Mom was trying her best,” the Sacramento, Calif.-bred hairstylist explained in an exclusive interview with E! News. “Mom was putting herself out there. Mom was believing in herself. Mom was following her heart. And regardless of if it’s a reality show or something else in life, I want to be the example for Rowen of, she followed her heart, she did what she wanted to do.”
And though her journey was certainly dramatic at times, it eventually led Clare to Mascot Sports CEO Ryan, who was, as she previously detailed to E!, “in my backyard the whole time.”