Bachelor in Paradise 2019: Who is Alex Nation?

Everything you need to know about the 2016 winner! - by Alice Murphy

Alexandra Nation rose to fame on season four of The Bachelor Australia, finding love with hunky rope access technician Richie Strahan.

But their romance didn't last and just one year later, Alex confirmed their split with a series of cryptic Instagram posts and later branded their separation "grubby".

So it came as a (very welcome) surprise to fans of the Network Ten franchise when both Alex and Richie were announced as part of the cast for Bachelor in Paradise 2019.

alexandranation View Profile

Shortly after their break up became public, mother-of-one Alex announced she had embarked on a relationship with Maegan Luxa, her team mate from the Melbourne ladies AFL team the Frankston Bomber's.

"When it comes to love, my friends and family would tell you that my heart isn't one to discriminate," she wrote in an Instagram post at the time alongside a photo of her with Luxa.

Their romance lasted seven months and the pair even became engaged, but quickly disappeared from one another's social media and called it off soon after.

alexandranation View Profile

I have been feeling extremely nostalgic this morning and realised that its almost 3 years to the date that I flew out to Sydney to embark on a bizarre and exciting adventure. I'm going to be real with you and say I did not apply for the Bachelor to find love. I applied because I'd just had my heart broken and thought what an experience this would be! In fact, I'd never watched a single episode of the Bachelor/Bachelorette before and use to laugh at my girlfriends who would discuss it in our group chat. I was literally the eye roll emoji. NEK MINUT, I was a contestant in season 4 and quickly became Poo Bath Girl, American Psycho, Stage 5 Clinger, Bunny Boiler, The Single Mum(who says their a Mum a lot, and my personal favourite Australia's Most Hated Woman (#shouldhavepickednikki) I was 24, Ill be 28 this year. My experience during and post show has taught me a lot. Never in a million years did I anticipate life post Bach. Meeting people I've idolised for years, going on my favourite radio shows, walking down the red carpet of the Logies and dancing my little heart out with Sandra Sully, having a frothy next to Mel Gibson at the Actors Awards (ill be clear, I wasn't having a frothy with Mel but I could smell his cologne and it was heavenly). The Bachelor helped me on a path to discovering who I am. Whilst the show came with some serious lows which lead to anxiety and depression and confusion as to how people can treat others so poorly and with such venom (trollers/cyber bullies, jog the fuck on) It helped me grow as a person. Its a bizarre thing falling in love on national television. Did I really fall in love with Richie? At the time, I believed that with every fibre of my being. What we were in that moment was powerful and special and I was on cloud 9 and what we went through and experienced together was unique. I feel like I've learnt a lot more about love since then. Hell, I'm always learning(Im going to write a blog about being a serial dater) Anyway, Im rambling. In short I loved my experience on this crazy bloody show and the beautiful people I got to cross paths with. Here is a little highlight reel 💗

Alex looks set to stir things up in Fiji as a new trailer for Bachelor in Paradise shows her sharing a kiss with co-star Brooke Blurton of The Bachelor 2018 fame.

WATCH: Alex Nation and Brooke Blurton KISS in new Bachelor In Paradise trailer

Alice Murphy

Alice Murphy is a freelance journalist and self-professed news addict. Originally from Ireland, Alice is on a mission to visit every country in the world (telling stories along the way). She is most commonly found eating sushi, drinking strong coffee and reading horoscopes.

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