“On Ali and Steve’s first date, the pair went out and Ali ended up making out with five different girls at Mr Kim’s nightclub in Adelaide,” the friend, who does not want be named, continues.
“One of the girls even had a boyfriend who got pretty angry and they had to leave. The next day Ali was really mortified and kept apologising.”
As time went on, things went from bad to worse for the pair.
“She would often turn up unannounced at Steve’s apartment after a big night out,” the pal says.
“They got along well when there was no alcohol involved, but Steve really struggled when Ali would turn up drunk most weekends waking him up and making a scene. She would send hundreds of texts and ring his phone until the battery ran out. He even had to disconnect his doorbell because she just pressed it for hours.”
Eventually, Ali and Steve’s relationship ended when Ali accepted an offer to star on The Bachelor with Tim Robards as the leading man.
“They both agreed Ali should go on the show to chase her dreams of fame,” the friend explains.
However, despite being tipped to win Tim’s heart, Ali was sent home, and wasted no time getting back in touch with Steve.
“She wanted to start over and they did hook up again, but Steve wasn’t sure he could see a future with her.”
Then, just days later, Ali bumped into Steve’s younger brother Dave at a bar.
“She told him he could buy her a drink if he liked what he saw,” the friend explains.
Dave and Ali began a secret relationship, before making it public weeks later.
“Steve was furious when he found out. He knew Ali was just doing it to get back at him and he didn’t want his little brother caught in the crossfire.”
But after some heated arguments, Dave said it was too late and that he loved Ali – and after 18 months he popped the question.
“Even though the brothers weren’t talking at the time, the family had to come to terms with Ali becoming a permanent fixture in their lives,” the friend adds.
Fast-forward two years and Dave was left blindsided when Ali dumped him out of the blue and joined the cast of Bachelor in Paradise.
“Everyone thought they were happy and in love, including Dave.”
For the full story see this weeks issue of New Idea, on sale now.
