Bachelorette Lily - 'I WON'T LABEL MY SEXUALITY'

The newly single reality star is using her freedom to finally find herself

Six months ago, former Bachelorette NZ star Lily McManus herself alone and found. heartbroken. Her long-term relationship had come to an end and she wasn't quite sure what would be on the cards down the track.

Looking back on this uncertain time, Lily realises just how far she's come, both on and off screen. Now 26, she reflects, "Your mid to late twenties are a really transformative time. You're learning a lot about who you are and what you want."

Lately, Lily's grateful she's had time to explore her own sexuality outside of the spotlight. She says she's attracted to both men and women but wouldn't necessarily call herself bisexual.

"I date women as well as men," says Lily. "I don't talk about that much because when I came off The Bachelorette, I told myself I would have more boundaries around what I share with the public."

Lily considers herself to be fluid, rather than using a specific label. She explains, "There's so much politics around the term 'bisexual' because some people think it excludes trans and nonbinary people, which I don't. It suggests there are only two genders."

Lily graced our screens for the first time back in 2017 as a contestant on The Bachelor NZ. She may have missed out on leading man Zac Franich, but she won the hearts of the Kiwi public and went on to appear in international series The Bachelor Winter Games, where she fell in love with Aussie contestant Courtney Dober.