After ‘Bachelorette’ finale, Hannah Brown looks to future

By Alicia Rancilio / Associated Press

NEW YORK — Now that she’s moved on from being ABC’s “Bachelorette, ” Hannah Brown is looking to the future.

Brown says she can’t be sure what’s next, but wants to use her platform.

“I think there are a lot of opportunities out there for me,” said Brown, a 24-year-old former Miss Alabama.

“I appreciate the support, but I don’t think that you’re done seeing me, I want to be able to use this platform to talk about what change has happened with me and that’s through the good times and the bad times,” she said, adding that she thinks a lot of women can relate.

On Tuesday’s finale, viewers saw Brown get engaged to Jed Wyatt. Their happiness was short-lived because the day after their engagement she learned that he had a girlfriend when he joined the show. Cameras rolled as she confronted him. Also on Tuesday, Brown confirmed that she had ended the engagement.

But even though Wyatt made a mistake, Brown said, she believes he’s a good person at his core.

“I have already said my peace and so it’s not for me to continue to punish him. I think he learned a lot and I know that there’s goodness inside of him, and I think he is really going to grow as a man from this and I wish him well in his future.”

Fans of the show largely supported Brown for her decision and they’ve been vocal on social media.

“I absolutely feel the support,” Brown said. “There have been times where the criticism feels like the loudest, but I’ve always felt and cared for the people who have just loved me, supported me, understood me throughout even choices and decision that some people, you know, may have made differently. You don’t know what it’s like to be in this position so it’s been really good to have the people just love on me.”

She said she’s moved on from Wyatt, but giving up the dream of a future with him was difficult.

Brown says the hardest thing was realizing that she was not getting the ending she thought she’d have.

“It wasn’t necessarily the relationship, it was realizing that it was gonna be different, but that different is OK and that I have a lot to look forward to in my future.”

Her future may include a “Bachelorette” runner-up. Also on Tuesday, Brown asked Tyler Cameron — whom she originally rejected for Wyatt — to go out. He accepted.