To have your heart broken is devastating, but to have it broken in front of an entire nation is frankly unimaginable. Jamie-Lee Dayz is familiar with the latter.
Indeed, after making it to the final two on The Bachelorette‘s 2021 season, Jamie-Lee was an inch away from living a sweet happily-ever-after with the women she’d fallen in love with—Brooke Blurton.
But for the happy-go-lucky 30-year-old, it wasn’t meant to be. Brooke ultimately chose Darvid Garayeli in the season finale.
It was clear the winning couple were one of those spark-filled, butterflies-inducing romantic matches from the very beginning—and fans of the show picked he’d be the winner long before the finale.
So where did that leave Jamie-Lee? Well, the Sydney-based reality star had completely fallen for Brooke too (we absolutely can’t blame her), but she herself accepted that her chemistry with Darvid could not be ignored.
As Brooke heartbreakingly told Jamie she wasn’t the one for her in the show’s final moments, Jamie somehow managed to hold it together, delivering the smoothest (and most dignified) exit in the show’s history.
“You’re alright, it’s okay,” she told a teary Brooke.
“I really am happy for you. I feel lucky to have had this chance with you and what we had… was beautiful. It’s okay, thank you.”
After the gut-wrenching scene aired, Jamie-Lee took to Instagram to issue a statement, telling her followers: “It’s hard to say I’m heartbroken, because my heart is so full of love. This may not have been how I envisioned things turn out and I may not have found my person, but I’ve enjoyed every moment of this wild ride.”
She gracefully continued, “I believe to my core that things turned out exactly how they should. Losing the girl I loved to an incredible guy like @darvgarayeli made things a tiny bit easier. Wishing the happy couple all the love in the world.”
Sorry, but is this not the most eloquent break-up of all time? Huge love and respect to Jamie-Lee.
The reality star was one of the most talked about contestants this season due to the fact that she already had history with Brooke after they both starred in Nick Cummins’ 2018 season of The Bachelor.
Jamie-Lee was very open about the fact that she had strong feelings for Brooke at the time.
“There were so many times in the mansion where I would want to sneak over to your bed, but I just didn’t know,” Jamie-Lee explained to Brooke when they reconnected on The Bachelorette.
“It was scary because if I had put my feelings out there and you ended up with Nick, then I would’ve lost you as a friend.”
Brooke also confirmed her feelings were reciprocated, and the pair formed a strong bond as the season progressed.
But for now, it looks like Jamie-Lee will spend the next few weeks processing the loss of a love, and coming to terms with her life post-Bachelorette.
She currently studies psychology in Sydney, and she has wealth of career experience behind her, so there’s no doubt she’ll go on to do great things.
She’s already confirmed she’s ready for it: “I don’t know what’s next for me, but I’m really excited for the next chapter and to hopefully meet someone special,” she told Ten Play.
