The Bachelor Art Green and Matilda Rice are very much still together, says the winner.
The Bachelor Art Green and Matilda Rice are very much still together, says the winner.
Rumours are rampant that The Bachelor's Art Green and Matilda Rice have already broken up but the 24-year-old winner says they're absolutely not true.
"We're still together and really happy."
She says the pair have been in constant contact since filming wrapped in March and have managed to sneak in plenty of secret dates.
"We've had to take separate cars and leave at separate times. It's been kind of fun. Part of me is a little bit sad that that's ended now but most of me is happy that we can do more coupley stuff."
Now the secret's out she says we'll definitely be seeing lots of them together, out and about.
"It's been so, so hard," says the account sales executive. "The rumours have just been out of control. I've got people coming up to me all the time, especially with the old ex-girlfriend rumour that everyone has been saying. It's been so tempting to go 'it's not true, I'm with him!' But I've just had to go 'oh, okay, gosh...'"
"I think the most far fetched one I heard was that I won but then one week later, Art told me he was gay so I moved to Australia and hadn't been seen since!"
For the record, Green is not gay and Rice has remained in the country since filming wrapped.
It's also been difficult watching the final episodes of the series, she says, which had become "quite full on".
"It was quite weird. I know it happened and it's what I signed up for so I can't complain about it but you're sitting in a room, trying to relax and then you see your boyfriend making out with someone in your face. It's a little bit weird."
Rice says it was hard to watch Green on screen with other women.
She's also resisted the urge to give Green stick for anything that happened with the other girls. Including using the same line on multiple ladies.
"I haven't because I totally understand what it's like. Both of us have been really good in terms of, we've let that happen and it's done now.
"Now we're just focussing on the now and enjoying each other's company and seeing what happens."
But one thing that didn't go unmentioned was when Rice uttered the now infamous line, "He's getting a bit Billy Big Balls with the kissing now."
"That really caught him by surprise!" she laughs, saying Green text her when the episode screened. "I was like, 'yeah, sorry about that'. But I stand by my comment, he was getting a little bit too big for his boots."
Billy Big Balls is definitely a thing. Now, I'm hoping more people will jump on board the Billy Big Balls wagon
She's also adamant that Billy Big Balls is a legitimate expression.
"I'm pretty sure it's a British thing. In the UK, Billy Big Balls is definitely a thing. Now, I'm hoping more people will jump on board the Billy Big Balls wagon."
As for life in the mansion, she says it was like being on a "glamorous camp".
The girls weren't allowed contact with the outside world and often spent entire days sunbathing, reading and eating in between the cocktail parties.
She says what viewers saw on screen was an accurate reflection of what played out in real life.
"No one was edited to be anyone they're not," she says. Including Chrystal, who earned notoriety for her frank, at times bitchy, comments. "She was edited how she actually was. She made comments like that but she's hilarious and as soon as we got to know her, we loved her.
Rice, who was wearing the ring during our interview, admits she was underwhelmed when she first saw the large gold and diamond accessory.
"I'll behonest, when he opened the box and showed me the ring, I wasn't hugely sold on it but as soon as I put it on, I loved it. And it's hand picked so I love it."
I once got my girlfriend a ring shaped like a dolphin and even that wasn't as ugly as the monstrosity on display tonight. #TheBachelorNZ
