Clare Crawley and husband Ryan Dawkins’ daughter, Rowen, is only nine months old, but someday she might ask about her mom’s journey on The Bachelorette — and Crawley already knows how she wants to frame the experience.
“I want to always be the example of real, and Mom was trying her best,” the reality TV personality, 43, told E! in an interview published on Sunday, October 27. “Mom was putting herself out there. Mom was believing in herself. Mom was following her heart. And regardless of if it’s a reality show or something else in life, I want to be the example for Rowen of — she followed her heart, she did what she wanted to do.”
Crawley was the runner-up during Juan Pablo Galavis’ season of The Bachelor in 2014 before stints on Bachelor in Paradise and Bachelor Winter Games. She later got engaged to Dale Moss during her season of The Bachelorette in 2020.
Crawley fell for Moss, 36, so quickly that she left the show early to be with him — Tayshia Adams took over after her departure — but their romance didn’t last. After ending her engagement to Moss in September 2021, Crawley moved on with Dawkins later that fall.
Despite having to wait awhile for her happily ever after — Crawley is the oldest Bachelorette in the show’s history not counting The Golden Bachelorette — Crawley never gave up hope that it would happen.
“I know that sounds crazy coming from a 43-year-old woman who got married when I was 41,” she said. “I don’t know what in my soul has always felt this, but I always believed deep in my heart that it was all going to happen for me, even when there was moments of doubt, like, ‘When is it going to happen?'”
Crawley admitted that she was “very broken” after her split from Moss, calling their dynamic “the worst example of what relationships are.” So when she met Dawkins, who was “future husband material,” she didn’t feel ready at first.
“I was just in such a bad spot, and I knew for somebody this amazing, I needed to bring amazing to the table as well,” she recalled. “He said, ‘Take as much time as you need,’ and so I did.”
The couple went on to tie the knot in February 2023 and welcomed Rowen via surrogate in January. Crawley took a moment to praise Dawkins last month while wishing him a happy birthday via Instagram.
“You’ve got it all — brains, heart, and the good looks that make my heart forever have butterflies,” she wrote. “I can’t wait for many more years of love, laughs, and you being the most handsome man I’ve ever known! 💕 LOML today is your day!!!”
Dawkins has also gushed about Crawley. After he popped the question in 2022, the Mascot Sports CEO told Us “everything in my world has changed” since meeting Crawley.
“She’s the love of my life and I wish the world knew the Clare that I know,” he said. “She is one of the strongest women I know and is truly a light. I love our life and [am] beyond excited about our future.”
