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Katie Thurston’s season of The Bachelorette might have just begun, but the drama is already brewing. The lead of the show revealed details about her one-on-one date with Greg Grippo in a new interview, divulging what she regretted about the time with her contestant. Here’s what she had to say.

Katie Thurston and Greg Grippo on a one-on-one date on 'The Bachelorette'
Katie Thurston and Greg Grippo on ‘The Bachelorette’ | Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images

Katie Thurston chose Greg Grippo to go with for her first one-on-one date of ‘The Bachelorette’

Katie gave her First Impression rose to Greg, a shy and nervous contestant from New Jersey. Greg gifted Katie a handmade necklace during their time on the first night, which clearly won Katie over. She validated his feelings for her, and tried to ease his nerves, by giving him the coveted rose.

She showed that she really saw something in him by choosing Greg for the first one-on-one date of the season. They went on an outdoor adventure, pitching a tent and taking in the mountain view during their date. Katie told Greg that she used to do camping adventures with her dad when she was growing up.

While on the date, Katie opened up about her feelings toward losing her dad in 2012. She got emotional on the date, crying and being vulnerable about losing a loved one.

Katie Thurston shared her biggest regret from Greg Grippo one-on-one date while on ‘Bachelor Happy Hour’ podcast

Katie shared her thoughts about her date with Greg while on Bachelor Happy Hour podcast with co-hosts Becca Kufrin and Tayshia Adams. She spilled on a regret she had from the date. Adams asked Katie if she wished she knew earlier about Greg’s dad dying two years prior.

“I do actually wish he told me during the day because as I’m telling him my story, I could tell there was something he wanted to say,” she said. “As someone who lost a parent, if he’s not ready to talk about it or doesn’t want to get emotional in front of me, that’s fine. But there was a roadblock at times when I recognized there’s something he’s thinking about, but he wouldn’t open up about it until that evening.”

Katie said that Greg sharing his feelings about losing his father was a “huge moment” for the two of them.

“Here he is, getting emotional in front of me, which I know sometimes for men, that’s hard,” Katie continued. “I was letting him know, ‘It’s ok to cry and embrace your emotions.’ For us to talk about him and his dad, it was something I think he’s been needing to do in general.”

Katie Thurston spilled on why she chose Greg Grippo for the first one-on-one date of ‘The Bachelorette’ season

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“I knew the date was gonna be centered around my dad, so it was a very important date,” Katie expressed. “Greg was someone that I had a very early connection with, just like right away. Without really getting to know a lot of the guys, I was like, ‘Greg’s the best one at this time to go on the date with me.'”

“[He was] shy and insecure, and I was like, ‘I’m gonna give him that validation and really get him to bring down his walls and get to know him better,'” she commented. “I didn’t want that to be a problem going forward if he continued to be shy and closed off. He was the perfect one to go on the date with, although not knowing that he had also lost his dad. It was this beautiful thing that I never could have predicted.”

The Bachelorette airs Mondays on ABC at 8 p.m. EST.

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