Opening up. Rachel Recchia is contemplating undergoing breast reduction surgery — and she hopes the results will completely “change” her daily life.
“OK, this is kind of a really big deal for me, but I wanted to come on here and ask if there are any women — or what women have experienced getting a breast reduction?” Recchia, 26, said while seeking advice in a Tuesday, February 7, TikTok video. “I have been in the process of going through my insurance and [to get] the surgery done.”
The former Bachelorette revealed that she’s thought about the surgery since she was 17 years old, adding that she might schedule the operation for the beginning of March.
“I truly think that the surgery is going to absolutely change my life,” Recchia — who split from ex-fiancé Tino Franco shortly after getting engaged during the season 19 finale of The Bachelorette — explained in her TikTok video. “Not only in the way that I’m able to exercise and not have pain, but every woman I’ve met who’s gotten the surgery has said it’s absolutely changed their life.”
The pilot further noted that she’s been a “crazy person” trying to scour the internet for medical advice about the procedure and any post-operative gear she’ll need for recovery.
“This is a huge deal for me. I’m really excited but I’m super, super nervous,” Recchia said, noting that her Bachelor Nation pal and roommate Genevieve Parisi will help take care of her after the surgery.
The Florida native explained in the comments section of her TikTok that she has been researching the procedure since she was a teenager.
“I started looking into it at 17 — just now getting it at 26 but wish I did it at 17,” she revealed, telling her followers that she thinks it will be worthwhile to have the reduction done before she starts having children. “I always support anyone doing what makes them happy or improves their quality of life 💕.”
The Bachelor season 26 finalist starred opposite Gabby Windey during their joint season of The Bachelorette, which aired last year. While Recchia and Windey became close pals during Clayton Echard’s Bachelor journey, the flight instructor was always aware of the physical differences between herself and the Dancing With the Stars alum, 31.
“We have different body types, too, and everything we wore was so different,” Recchia told PopSugar in July 2022. “It was really cool that we got to express two different styles.”
The women both ended their season engaged — Recchia to Franco, 28, and Windey to Erich Schwer — but both couples have since called it quits. Through their unique Bachelorette experience, the leads never felt like they were competing for the contestants’ attention.
“If people are talking about pitting us against each other, it never came from the inside,” Recchia exclusively told Us Weekly in August 2022. “Gabby and I never felt like having our boys in two separate parts of the boat pitted us against each other. We always had open communication. We always put each other first. So as far as what anyone thinks about it being a competition, it’s really coming from them and not us.”
