Laura Byrne says she “absolutely” fell in love with Bachelor Matty J but worried about cold sores

ADDING fuel to fan speculation Laura Byrne has won Matthew ‘Matty J’ Johnson’s heart, the jewellery designer has confessed she fell madly in love with the Bachelor.

EXCLUSIVE

ADDING fuel to fan speculation Laura Byrne has won Matthew ‘Matty J’ Johnson’s heart, the jewellery designer has confessed she fell madly in love with the Bachelor.

“Absolutely,” says Byrne when asked if she was smitten.

“It was definitely during the hometown visits, having him there with my family, that made it real,” she says. “My family were so approving and so excited and accepting, and just instantly like ‘this guy’s great!’”

The final three contestants: Elise Stacy, Laura Byrne and Tara Pavlovic Picture: Supplied / TEN

Gold Coast nanny Tara Pavlovic and former Hockeyroo Elise Stacy, from Perth, were also named in the top three this week. And though the reality stars stayed mum on the outcome, the girls couldn’t help but drop some cryptic hints.

“I came off the hometown date with Matty and felt really great about the time we had,” says Stacy, 29. “I would have been surprised if I’d been sent home … but also not surprised.”

Pavlovic, 27, also indicated she could often predict who Johnson would choose.

“I could kind of pick who was going, I could gauge it pretty well. I think everyone could,” she says.

Elise Stacy, Laura Byrne and Tara Pavlovic are all vying for Matty J’s heart Picture: Supplied / TEN

Stacy became a frontrunner for Johnson’s heart only in recent weeks but believes he had genuine feelings for all three contestants by this point in the show. “With the girls left, I have no doubt he has feelings for every single one of them … but you never know he actually wants,” she says.

However Byrne, 30, doubts it’s possible to be in love with three people at once.

“Look, I don’t think it’s possible for me to have deep romantic feelings for three people at the same time. I think maybe I could have deep romantic feelings for one person and then I might question, ‘oh, but maybe that person is better for me?’ But that would be (using) my head over my heart,” she says.

Matty J shows off his beach bod. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

From the beginning, fans had pegged Byrne as most likely to win after she scored the first kiss, and this week a media outlet released a ‘spoiler’ claiming Byrne and Johnson had been on a top-secret romantic weekend getaway. The claims included a description of Bryne and Johnson travelling in multiple private cars to elude paparazzi but no photo showing the pair together could be produced.

Stacy also caused controversy recently when it was revealed she was moving from Perth to Sydney, where Johnson lives. But she was able to provide an explanation.

“I left my job to go on The Bachelor and when I finished I got offered an amazing job in Sydney, in marketing and brand activation,” she says. (Conspiracy theorists note, Stacy works in the same profession as Johnson — could he have got his new girlfriend a job?)

Favourite to win Laura Byrne and Matty J Picture: Supplied / Ch 10

Now, after months of speculation, the grand final is set to air next week, and it couldn’t come soon enough for the remaining contestants, particularly to relieve them of watching Johnson kiss other girls.

“When you get this far you do have feelings for the guy so it’s strange to see him sit there and be affectionate with other women and say all these amazing things to them,” says Stacy.

Byrne agrees watching Johnson kiss the other girls is certainly uncomfortable, not least of all given the risk of contracting an infection.

“There were some people in the house who had cold sores and I was like, ‘oh, dude. nup. I’m not OK with this!” she says.

The Bachelor is on Network 10, 7.30pm Wednesday and Thursday

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