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Beverly Ortega did not accept a rose from Grant Ellis on the latest episode of The Bachelor.
But it wasn’t because she got rejected by lead star Grant Ellis.
The season 29 suitor revealed this week she had to go into emergency surgery for appendicitis, forcing her unexpected departure during the third episode of the aforementioned ABC franchise… not long after enjoying a one-on-one date with Ellis.
“I take a nap, I wake up and my stomach’s hurting,” Ortega told Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt on the February 10 episode of the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast.
“I’m like, ‘Okay, maybe I just need to go to the bathroom,’ or the food didn’t sit well. I start throwing up. My stomach is continuing to hurt and I’m in excruciating pain. This goes on for 12 hours.”
Yikes, huh?!?
While the aspiring spouse initially thought it could be food poisoning or an illness of some kind, she emphasized that something was most definitely quite wrong.
“They ended up taking me to the hospital,” Beverly said of the production team. “After three hours of being in the ER, the doctor came in and he’s like, ‘You have appendicitis. You’re going to need emergency surgery.’”
Left untreated, appendicitis can be very dangerous. Having an inflamed appendix can even be fatal if surgery is not performed to remove it.
Ortega hails from New York, but had to have the procedure done right away; in California.
“I was like, ‘Okay, like my family isn’t here, my friends aren’t here. I’m about to have major surgery on an organ,’” the 30-year old said, admitting to nervousness and loneliness.
Thankfully, the surgery went well and she returned to the East Coast days later.
However, getting invited on the coveted one-on-one date made her early exit especially difficult to process. Who knows what could have happened between her and Ellis?!?
“It took me a month and a half to recover emotionally,” Ortega admitted on the podcast.
“Physically, I was Okay, but emotionally I was not. I left with the ‘what if,’ and obviously, we were building a connection. He saw and felt exactly what I was seeing and feeling.”
The reality star said she and Ellis shared a bunch of “cute moments” and had the chance for many more before the health crisis hit.
“I was really sad, really, really bummed out,” the insurance salesperson confessed. “I didn’t get to say goodbye to him. I didn’t get to tell him what happened. So I hope he didn’t think that like I left just because.”
We’re sure Ellis understands at this point.
Ortega, meanwhile, says she would love to appear on Bachelor in Paradise and would likely be open to starring as The Bachelorette — but that series is unfortunately on hold.
“I do want to get married,” she said.
“I’m ready for kids and a family. I’ve always been a relationship type of girl and that was my intention going into the show.”
