She is preparing to embark on the love story of a lifetime, after being named Australia’s first bisexual Bachelorette.
But Brooke Blurton’s life before fame was anything but a fairytale.
Growing up in a small country town in Western Australia, the Indigenous influencer, 26, survived a traumatic childhood marred by sexual assault, drug-fuelled violence and her mother’s suicide.
Inside Brooke Blurton’s tragic childhood: How the first bisexual Bachelorette survived sexual assault and drug-fuelled violence after losing her mother to suicide
Brooke, who now volunteers as a mental health service worker, previously discussed her struggles on SBS program Noongar Dandjoo.
‘I grew up in a country town in Carnarvon. I spent my childhood there up until I was about 11, when my mum unfortunately passed away – she committed suicide,’ she said.
‘That was a hard time, living in Carnarvon with my mum and nan, losing mum, and then nan actually passed away a month later.’
‘Growing up was pretty complicated’: Brooke lost her mother to suicide at age 11 and went on to live with her father, who she claims ‘wasn’t that supportive’. Pictured: Brooke, her mother and her siblings
Brooke eventually went to live with her father, but admitted: ‘To be honest, he wasn’t that supportive.
‘Growing up was pretty complicated. [There was] a lot of drug and alcohol violence in my childhood and I had an older sister who suffered from schizophrenia,’ she said.
Her brother Troy told the program: ‘Brooke was definitely someone I had to run to when I had problems.
Struggles: The brunette previously suffered from depression and battled with drugs and alcohol. Pictured: Brooke’s family
‘I went through quite a bit of depression when I was on drugs, drinking a lot, wasn’t really in the right place.’
Brooke also discussed her tough upbringing in a TedX talk in 2019, revealing that she was sexually assaulted after her mother’s funeral.
‘I don’t remember how I processed that information or how I was feeling at that time, but what I do remember is I found a phone book and a house phone and I looked up my dad’s name, I found a number and dialled,’ she said.
‘I don’t remember how I processed that information or how I was feeling at that time’: Brooke also discussed her tough upbringing in a TedX talk in 2019, revealing that she was sexually assaulted after her mother’s funeral
‘My stepmother answered, and I didn’t tell her what had happened, I just said ‘Could you come get me?’.
Brooke’s father, who was living in Perth, picked her up a day later.
‘I left in the middle of the night that night and I didn’t say goodbye to my brothers, I pretty much left my home,’ she recalled.
Role model: Despite the horrors of her childhood, the future reality TV star somehow found the strength to push through her own mental health issues to become a role model for her nine siblings. Pictured: Brooke with her brother Troy
‘I felt like I’d lost everything at that moment. I’d lost my sense of belonging, my family, my mum and also my connection to my Aboriginality. This was when I had first ever thought of suicide.’
Despite the horrors of her childhood, the future reality TV star somehow found the strength to push through her own mental health issues to become a role model for her nine siblings.
Brooke was announced as Channel Ten’s next Bachelorette on Thursday, making her Australia’s first pansexual woman to appear in the role.
Coming soon: Brooke was announced as Channel Ten’s next Bachelorette on Thursday, making her Australia’s first pansexual woman to appear in the role
The forthcoming series will see both men and women competing for her affections.
It will mark the first time globally that any of the Bachelor or Bachelorette franchises will feature a mixed-gender cast.
Lifeline crisis support number: 13 11 14. www.lifeline.org.au. Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
Breaking the mould: The forthcoming series will see both men and women competing for her affections