There isn’t any bad blood between Bachelor in Paradise’s Kamil Nicalek and Annaliese Puccini. The self-proclaimed social media participant, 30, opened up to Us Weekly exclusively about his relationship with the event designer, 33, after facing backlash for dumping her on the season 5 finale.
“The platform wasn’t the right place to have a breakup, but there’s no right place to have a breakup,” Nicalek said at Us Weekly’s Most Stylish New Yorkers party in New York City on Wednesday, September 12. “I couldn’t really fake what I was feeling at the time. … I couldn’t really not be true to myself and not true to her. I mean, I had to do what I had to do. I’m a man. I take full responsibility.”
Despite the blindside, Nicalek insisted that he is still “great, amazing friends” with Puccini. “We communicate. We were there for each other, supporting each other along the way,” he told Us. “I think we left as a broken couple, but in real life we’re still best friends. We talk all the time.”
In fact, the Bachelorette alum said Puccini even introduced him to some of her girlfriends after taping the reunion. “We met that night after the whole breakup thing happened, and we went hiking the next day and we got tacos,” he said. “It was fun!”
As for whether the couple will ever get back together? “We’re trying the real world thing out now ‘cause we didn’t really have that much time [together] after the show,” Nicalek told Us. “You never know. I mean, she’s a great person, she has a good soul and she would make a good wife one day.”
The reality star also shared his thoughts on the drama between his costars Jordan Kimball and Jenna Cooper, who announced their split on Wednesday after she was accused of being unfaithful.
“Whatever happens, I hope the truth comes out for both of them so they could either get back together or part ways,” Nicalek told Us. “They both would produce amazing babies, I think.”
Watch the video above for more on Nicalek, including whether he’d consider returning to Paradise!
