Already have an account?
Get back to the

‘The Bachelor’ Amanda’s Ex-Husband Defends Himself: ‘I Have Always Been a Great Father’

Setting the record straight! The Bachelor Season 20’s Amanda Stanton has won over Ben Higgins and viewers alike, with the hunky software salesman particularly touched when hearing about the mom of two’s failed marriage. Now, Stanton’s ex-husband, Nick Buonfiglia — the father to her daughters Kinsley, 3, and Charlie, 2 — tells Us Weekly exclusively that viewers haven’t been given an accurate representation of what he’s like as a father.

Buonfiglia, whose divorce from the Orange County–based esthetician was finalized in June, tells Us that some of Stanton’s scenes have been tough to watch, especially one in which Ben asks how her ex could not want to spend time with his kids.

Ben Higgins and Amanda
Ben Higgins and Amanda Greg Zibilski/ABC via Getty Images

Related: PHOTOS: The Bachelor After the Final Rose: Broken Engagements, Weddings, Babies, and More!

“That knocks me for the fact that there’s three sides to every story,” Buonfiglia says, pointing out that he and the family recently celebrated Charlie’s second birthday at Disneyland. “I am a man. I admit I made mistakes — I am able to grow from it and learn from it. I have always been a great father to my girls, and I always will be for them.”

“For me to watch it and kind of relive it — our marriage wasn’t perfect,” he continues. “We married young, we had our ups and downs, I was able to learn from it. A lot of people got the wrong side, like I abandoned my kids — that’s something I’ve seen in social media.”

Buonfiglia, who works in business development and outside sales for the Orange County Register, says that he would like to introduce himself to Higgins someday and shake his hand.

Related: The Bachelor: The Top 5 Biggest, Baddest Splits Ever

“Absolutely, I would,” he says. “He has a way different perception of me from what was said, and so does America. I definitely would like to show him the person I am and not the person he assumed I was from what was said.”

Buonfiglia admits that he has a been a Bachelor fan for years, as he and Amanda used to watch it together, and despite their differences, he thinks she would be a good pick as the next Bachelorette — although he wouldn’t plan on tuning in.

“I think she has a good story, and she’s been very genuine and sweet,” he says. “There’s a lot of single mothers out there — I think they can all relate to her story . . . It’s probably something I wouldn’t watch! But do I think she would make a good Bachelorette, absolutely.”

In fact, he wouldn’t be opposed to taking a chance at love himself as one of the 25 Bachelors trying to win over the next Bachelorette, provided that he weren’t vying for Amanda’s roses.

“It definitely depends,” he says on whether he would compete on The Bachelorette. “It couldn’t be Amanda! It would be really hilarious. I’m not gonna lie — it would be really funny [if I went on and Amanda was Bachelorette]. I don’t know how I would feel, but I think everybody deserves a chance to be happy and find love. Amanda went on it, and so if I had the opportunity, I would probably take it.”

The Bachelor airs on ABC on Mondays at 8 p.m. EST.

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!