Healing at home. Sierra Jackson detailed how she’s doing after her surprising exit from Bachelor in Paradise.
“Just know … I’m OK & well,” the Bachelor alum, 27, wrote via her Instagram Story after the Monday, October 10, episode of the ABC reality show. “At the time, I knew what I could/couldn’t handle mentally & emotionally. I had enough self awareness to recognize that staying on the beach wasn’t in my best interest. I didn’t see it playing out in a positive way, so I thought it best I go home.”
The Oklahoma native abruptly left the beach during Monday’s episode after Michael Allio told her that he just wanted to be friends. The yoga instructor and the Bachelorette alum, 38, had been hitting it off since the season 8 premiere, but the business owner was worried that things were moving too fast. Michael is the single father of son James, 6, after his wife, Laura, died of cancer at age 38 in 2019.
“[Sierra] exhibits all of the characteristics that I’m looking for in a partner, but I’m noticing that every time I take a step forward, I start taking a few steps back because I’m guarded and I’m concerned based on my traumatic past finding its way to the surface,” Michael said during a confessional interview on Monday’s episode. “I’m dealing with the grief element in my life. There’s just this weird, weird thing that happens where I think I’ve found it, it feels good, and then I get in my head and I push people away. And I feel really bad about that.”
After Michael told Sierra that he wasn’t ready to move forward, the fitness guru decided to leave the show. “I just don’t want to date anyone else,” she explained. “I also don’t want to see him date other people.”
In her Instagram post, Sierra said she was “very confused & upset” when she left Mexico, but she “was able to gain clarity & understanding through time.” She also pointed out that time seems to move differently on BiP. “Some may think I came on strong but remember, you have one month … & a day feels like a week in paradise.”
She added that she took the potential responsibility of meeting Michael’s son very seriously as the child of a single mother herself. “When someone has a child, you MUST be accepting of the responsibility that holds & show up 100%,” Sierra wrote. “My mother was a single parent at a point in time & my oldest sister as well. I value time & never want to waste mine or someone else’s & when you go into things unsure or without communicating & thinking things through … you hurt others.”
Sierra reiterated what she said during the episode about not wanting to be present on the beach if Michael decided to pursue someone else. “I didn’t want to possibly get involved in a love triangle down the line & it would’ve been cruel to use another man as a rebound,” she continued. “I’m proud I didn’t hold back, I showed up as myself, & stayed true to my character by leaving. I believe that EVERYTHING happens for a reason and God was working every step of the way. Blessings do come in disguises.”
In a tweet, the reality star asked fans to “respect” Michael’s choice to end their romance. “Michael is a grown man that will make decisions he feels are best for him & his family,” Sierra wrote on Monday, October 11. “His choices & feelings are valid & the vision he may have for his future is as well. Let’s respect that. Redirection is beautiful.”
Despite her emotional exit from BiP, Sierra was still able to joke about the moment, sharing a TikTok video after the episode with the caption, “Explaining to your girls he just wants to ‘be friends.'” In the clip, she lip-synced to a voiceover of someone saying, “You’re confused? I’m f–king confused, bro.”
Bachelor in Paradise airs on ABC Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
