Clare Crawley, 40, is putting her health first. The Bachelorette star gave her Instagram followers some reasons why she hasn’t been on social media as much as she used to be, in a video on July 3, and they involve her breast implants and some issues they’re causing. After going into a lengthy explanation about how she’s been having a lot of health problems in recent years, she revealed doctors found fluid behind her implants and it’s led to her making the decision to remove them.
“I’ve been going through things medically with my body that I have not had answers to,” she said in the video. “It’s been hard, it’s been frustrating and it’s been scary for me to not have answers and to know something’s not right.”
“My skin has been having really bad hives and rash. My whole body is just inflamed and itchy. I’ve had blood test after blood test. That is not my only symptom,” she continued. “It’s so frustrating.”
She went on to explain that she ultimately ended up having mammograms and an ultrasound after her chiropractor suggested them when he noticed something amiss with her breast implants in an X-ray and that’s what led to the fluid diagnosis. “As much as I love my implants, my body is fighting them and recognizes it as something obviously foreign in my body,” she said.
“My body is fighting [my implants],” she added before mentioning her glands are also swollen. “My body can’t heal. My body is in fight mode constantly. It’s all making sense.”
“As much as I loved having these, this is so important to me that I love my health more,” she further explained. “I love my well-being more. That’s what matters.”
In the video, Clare also talked about how her boyfriend Dale Moss, 32, who she fell in love with during their time on The Bachelorette, has been supporting her through the difficult process. “I was talking to Dale the other day and he said, ‘Your boobs are not what make you beautiful.’ And it’s the truth,” she said. “For so long I believed that’s what it would take. To me, this is the ultimate love story. Is loving [my] body enough to know this is not what makes me beautiful. My health and happiness is what matters.”
Shortly after Clare posted the video, Dale responded in the comments section. “So proud of you for sharing this love,” he wrote. “I know this wasn’t easy but will help so many other women going through what you’ve been experiencing. I love you & with you every step of the way❤️.”
Check out Clare’s full video above.