Starting over in the city! After a broken engagement and subsequent move to the Big Apple from down South, season 10 Bachelorette Andi Dorfman tells Us Weekly that she’s ready to embrace her new life in New York City.
The former Assistant D.A., 28, opened up to Us at the Adrianna Papell DRESSBAR launch in Manhattan last week, about her newfound singlehood and pursuing her dreams in the city that never sleeps.
“I’m obsessed,” Dorfman told Us. “I kind of feel like I look like the biggest tourist here because I take pictures everywhere I am, and I actually live here which is the crazy part. I have to literally pinch myself every day, like, ‘Oh my God, I’m in New York. I live in New York.’ It’s awesome, just like the energy. Everything is very clear to me here. I just belong with the energy.”
As first reported by Us in January, the Atlanta native made the decision to move to NYC after her sudden January 2015 split from winning Bachelorette suitor Josh Murray. “I think it’s crazy to think that a year ago, where I was, and now, here I am living in New York City,” she reflected. “Never would I have thought I would be doing this. But I’m definitely embracing it.”
In fact, Dorfman’s career trajectory has swerved — in her favor. “I was the girl who kind of went straight from high school to college. Then straight from college to law school,” she told Us. “I was working before I even passed the bar. So, I’ve never had the opportunity, and I’ve always envied my friends who went and traveled abroad. Or went somewhere else to a big city like this. I’m finally doing it, and it feels good! I just want to let it find me.”
This means letting go of her previous role as a lawyer — for now. “I’ve taken a break from law,” she told Us. “My license is in Georgia. Right now, I just moved in! The apartment is finally starting to come together, and I’m like, ‘Alright.’ Now I can go explore the city… Moving in is really interesting. Everyone says you’ll have no space, but as a single girl, you make it work! It’s kind of fun to make it work, it’s different. There’s all these rooms and you don’t know what to fill it with. It’s kind of fun just to parse everything down, and this is my first place by myself.”
A lot of research went into finding her new abode in Downtown Manhattan’s West Village. “I’m lucky I found a great place that I love. I hunted that thing down though,” she told Us. “I’ve always lived with somebody, so it’s been interesting to kind of design in my own way.”
Dorfman, beloved in Bachelor Nation — she first appeared on Juan Pablo Galavis’ season of The Bachelor — for her hard-hitting personality, naturally has a plan in motion for her life in New York. “Obviously, I want to get into fashion, and it’s part of the reason that I’m here,” she told Us. “I love fashion, always have. But I’m just seeing where things take me right now.”
This includes several upcoming projects she already has in the works. “They’re fun,” she told Us, while explaining some of her favorite spring trends. “I’m really into the scuba fabric… It fits every body. I’m definitely ready for some dresses. Probably some crops.”
Those cute outfits, however, will not be worn on dates this spring (at least, for the time being!). “God, I don’t want to even think about getting back into the dating pool,” she told Us. “I can’t even imagine.”
Dorfman and Murray shocked Bachelor fans with their joint split announcement in January. The Bachelorette later told host Chris Harrison that Murray was undoubtedly her first love, but he wasn’t her ideal match. “I didn’t feel supported and empowered,” she said. “And I don’t think I gave him the support and empowerment that he needed.”
Since her teary, emotional sit-down, Dorfman appeared seemingly more at peace with her split, even joking about dating dozens of men on season 10 of The Bachelorette. “I think I’ve dated enough in the past year,” she told Us with a smirk. “Yeah, I think my number is good. It’s gonna hold me over for a while.”
In the meantime, Dorfman has found support from her girlfriends, including Bachelor alums Nikki Ferrell and Sharleen Joynt. “The best! I love my girlfriends,” she gushed to Us. “I’ve always been more of a girl’s girl. So it’s fun for me. I’m the type of person who wants to be good! I feel like I’m finally in a really good place. I feel like, now it’s kind of about me. I don’t need to worry about the dating lifestyle and just focus on me in New York and just enjoying life.”
