'The Bachelorette' Star Katie Thurston Says She Was Forced To Have Sex 10 Years Ago

Katie Thurston opened up about a painful experience she had kept from her mom on Monday night's episode of "The Bachelorette." She talked about the experience while on a group date with the guys, who also dropped some intimate details about their previous relationships.

Thurston said the experience happened a decade ago when she was forced to have sex while she was drunk. "Ten years ago, it was New Year’s Eve and I had been drinking," she recounted. "I was involved in a situation where there wasn't consent, and that is not something I wish upon anybody."

"The Bachelorette" star also shared that although most people laud her today for being sex-positive, as Glamour mentioned in a report, she wasn't like that before. She even recalled being forced to form a relationship with the man who abused her just because she was in denial about what she had gone through.

"When that didn't work out, for years I had a very unhealthy relationship with sex," she shared. "I didn't want to have sex, which affects a relationship. I didn't like talking about sex."

According to Thurston, it took her a long time to finally come to terms with sex and be open and comfortable talking about it. She also said she's come a long way from who she was 10 years ago, noting that she is now more accepting of things that she cannot control.

She said the experience has taught her how important consent and communication are, and how guilt-tripping someone for not having sex is a big no-no. "That is something really big that has happened in my life, that in some ways has really shaped me to who exactly I am today," she said.

Thurston went on to reveal she initially blamed herself for being too drunk at that moment, but she came to realize it was not her fault because she did not give her consent that night. She's thankful, however, that the weight has been lifted off her chest since then.

''The Bachelorette'' airs Monday nights on ABC.