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Trista Sutter Defends Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe: Leave Her Alone, Stop Slut-Shaming

Trista Sutter and Kaitlyn Bristowe
Trista Sutter, ABC's first Bachelorette, tells Us Weekly fans should stop slut-shaming Kaitlyn Bristowe after she admitted to having sex with a contestant.

Trista Sutter is squarely in Kaitlyn Bristowe's corner. Thirteen years after her stint as ABC’s very first Bachelorette, Sutter tells Us Weekly that newbie leading lady Bristowe is getting a raw deal after opening up about having sex with a contestant. Chatting with Us days after Bristowe's season teaser hit the Internet – and showed Bristowe after a sexy romp in the sheets with an unknown contestant – Sutter wants Bachelorette fans to cut her a break.

Related: PHOTOS: Meet Kaitlyn's suitors

“[The trailer] is getting people to talk, but what needs to stay at the top of this conversation is that no matter who you are and the mistakes you've made, everyone has feelings," Sutter told Us while promoting the May 31 premiere of her HGTV show (with hunky firefighter hubby Ryan!) Rocky Mountain Reno on Friday, May 22.

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrity sex confessions

Though Bristowe, 30, later confirmed she's "not ashamed" by her Bachelorette sex, Sutter urges viewers to wait until they hear the full story. "I'm sure there are plenty of people who have [done the same during the show] but no one has talked about it this publicly before. We know it was brought up, but we don’t know [the context]," Sutter, 42, told Us, calling to mind the 2014 Bachelor in Paradise episode that was edited to take a conversation Clare Crawley had with a producer and make it look like she was talking to a raccoon.

Related: PHOTOS: Bachelor villains

"Yes, Kaitlyn used the word sex, but it doesn't mean that she had sex with 25 or 30 guys!" Sutter said. "Bottom line, as someone who has gone through it, is that whatever Kaitlyn did on her journey is her business. I wish people would be more compassionate."

Former contestant Erica Rose also sides with Sutter. "When I was on it [in The Bachelor's season nine], no one even talked about [sex], and now they do and it's just becoming a lot more open,” Rose told Us. "It's good that they talk about it. In real life, people have sex all the time, and it should be talked about. I think people just shouldn't be such prudes, honestly."

The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC. Trista and Ryan Sutter's HGTV show, Rocky Mountain Reno, premieres May 31 at noon EST.

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