Jordan Mauger and Fleur Verhoeven the day after the Bachelor finale. Photograph / Doug Sherring.
Jordan Mauger and Fleur Verhoeven the day after the Bachelor finale. Photograph / Doug Sherring.
Bachelor Jordan Mauger and his family have been verbally abused and sent threats since he dumped winner Fleur Verhoeven.
In a statement, Verhoeven said she was "physically ill" by how badly Mauger and his family had been treated.
"Can we for one moment step back and think, maybe the wayJordan has been portrayed over the last few days isn't completely accurate. Maybe what we see and hear isn't always 100 per cent true?!"
Last night Mauger thanked his friends for sticking beside him as he faced intense public backlash following his break-up with Verhoeven.
In a private message sent on Facebook, Mauger wrote: "I am so very grateful to have the friends that I do. You are the ones that truly know me without the bowtie, champagne and roses... Without your love and support, I'd still be lost in this storm of hate," he wrote.
"I may not have found it on the show, but I've sure got love with my friends."
Mauger broke up with Verhoeven just 72 hours after she was revealed as the winner of The Bachelor NZ.
Verhoeven said the past two days had been "an emotional rollercoaster" but she had no ill feelings towards Mauger.
"The last thing I want is for him and his family to be treated the way they are... he does not deserve this and the way he has is being portrayed is not the guy I developed feelings for.
"Of course I would have loved for the outcome to be different and to have explored a possible relationship with Jordan, but I am also very grateful for his honesty and integrity and feel we both deserve your support."
Verhoeven also thanked her large number of supporters.
"I have felt loved by the extreme outpouring of support from people all over the country and I want to say thank you to every single one of you from the bottom of my heart. I cannot begin to explain how overwhelmed I am by it all and put into words how much it means."
