The Bachelor NZ star Jordan Mauger has hinted to Woman's Day he still has a "soft spot" for Nazanin Khanjani (Naz), and the reason he didn't choose her over Fleur Verhoeven may have been because his family didn't approve.
Mauger, the bachelor of season two of the hit TV3 reality show, bore the brunt of negative public reaction after he dumped his chosen winner, Fleur, just days after the final episode aired.
His chemistry with runner-up Naz was obvious in television appearances and interviews that followed.
In the Woman's Day interview, Mauger hints that he didn’t choose Naz in the show’s finale because his family influenced him against her.
"I spoke to my family for about two hours after they’d met both girls and I asked them who they would most like to come for Christmas," he told Woman’s Day.
"I don’t want to say who they chose, but there were some who were judging Naz on what they’d seen up to that point on TV, rather than what they’d seen in person."
The Christchurch-born 32-year-old told the magazine he's had his fill of dates for a "lifetime", and just "needs some time to heal from this" before pursuing a relationship.
He also defended himself against public ridicule for dumping Fleur and not being by her side for an on-camera interview.
"There are many elements to this story," he told Woman's Day. "What people saw is just a small slice of the whole picture."
Mauger wasn't aware Fleur would reveal the break-up on national television, saying they had decided on releasing a joint statement beforehand.
However he says they are still friends, and was honest with her about his uncertainty of their relationship once the show finished filming, and that she'd understood.
Naz tweeted she completely agrees with Jordan and supports him "100 percent in everything he says" following Woman's Day's publication of the interview.
Newshub.
