Ben Higgins Opens Up About Being In A 'Low Place'
Ben Higgins has been part of Bachelor Nation ever since he appeared as a contestant on Season 11 of "The Bachelorette" competing for Kaitlyn Bristowe's love. He came in third place and was named the Bachelor for the show's 20th season. After telling both his final two contestants Lauren Bushnell and JoJo Fletcher that he loved them (a "Bachelor" first!), he got down on one knee and proposed to Lauren. The couple stayed together for over a year, even getting their own spin-off "Lauren and Ben: Happily Ever After?", before calling it quits, per People. Lauren went on to eventually marry country singer Chris Lane. The two recently welcomed their first child together.
Ben went on to appear on the franchise's first-ever "Bachelor Winter Games" and co-hosts a podcast with Bachelor Nation favorite Ashley Iaconetti Haibon titled "Almost Famous." He's also the author of "Alone in Plain Sight: Searching for Connection When You're Seen but Not Known," where he divulged details about his break-up with Lauren and his painkiller addiction, among other revelations.
Most recently, Ben appeared on Trista Sutter's podcast "Better Etc." and discussed his struggles with mental health as a result of being in the public eye. Read on to see what he disclosed to the original Bachelorette.
Ben Higgins is back home in Indiana after a 'breakdown'
Ben Higgins got real about the current state of his mental health on Trista Sutter's podcast. "I am back in Indiana right now because of a breakdown, again, in my life where I don't know what's happening," he revealed (via Us Weekly). "I don't know what this next season of life looks like for me. I'm farther and farther removed from the show, and at the same time, I need to figure out what my life is going to look like and what my legacy is going to be."
He continued that life isn't easy for him right now: "I'm at a low place, I don't see myself as this thriving figure right now. I'm kind of lamenting and separating myself from a lot of things that I held close." He explained that he had begun to associate his identity very closely with the franchise. "All of a sudden I go from feeling like I'm an outsider to, over a period of time, having enough people tell me that I'm awesome to start feeling pretty good about [myself]," he told Trista. "I start building an identity around that. I started to really feel like, 'Oh, my gosh, this is the thing that I was needing to fill me ... I'll be in the in-group forever.'" Trista suggested the two create a "Bachelor's Anonymous" group to help contestants transition back to real life after the show.
While it sounds like he's having a tough time, there is one bright spot: Ben is currently engaged to Jessica Clarke and has been posting on Instagram about their wedding-planning.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.