The 'Bachelor' alum got candid about her relationship during a recent podcast appearance.
Becca Tilley is opening up about her romance with Hayley Kiyoko, and the outpouring of support she's received since they officially went public with their relationship.
During the latest episode of her podcast, Scrubbing In with Becca Tilley & Tanya Rad, the 33-year-old Bachelor alum got candid about the romance, and said her relationship with Kiyoko was never intentionally kept secret -- she just kept it private.
"I think it's time. For four years, it's been our relationship. Hayley and I never were secret, we were very much ourselves, we held hands in public... [but] I really made sure to make that distinction between 'private' and 'secret,'" Tilley shared.
"There's such this warped perception of privacy via social media because we're so expected to share everything," Tilley continued, adding that she eventually felt it was "just time" to be more public about their love.
The pair first seemingly confirmed their romance last week, in a music video for Kiyoko's song "For the Girls," which plays out just like an episode of The Bachelorette, complete with limo arrivals and a rose ceremony, something Tilley -- who was runner up on Chris Soules' season of The Bachelor in 2015 -- was familiar with.
"I've always said, 'We can go public if I can be in one of your videos,'" Tilley shared. "But I'm not an actress, and she always hires legit actresses."
However, by being able to play herself in a way, the couple was able to let the world in on their romance in a way they never had before. And, in doing so, Tilley said she was overwhelmed by the reaction.
"I did not know how it was going to go. I knew that I had a big group of people that had my back and were going to support me and love me and encourage me and us in our relationship and have championed our relationship since day one. But there was this other part of me that had been fearing the reaction of other people for four years," she shared. "And when I made the decision to go public with it, I thought, 'I have this army of people who have my back no matter what.'"
"So I was prepared for anything and everything, but I was not prepared for the amount of love and support that we got, Tilley shared as she broke into tears. "Haley has really made me feel brave, and she was always like, 'People love you and they want to see you happy.' And I'm just so thankful for you guys."
On Friday, Tilley posted a video to Instagram that featured clips and pics from their time together, and officially confirmed their relationship, sharing, "Hard to say if this is a hard or soft launch, but it is a launch."
Tilley got support from Bachelor Nation in the comment section, including from Colton Underwood, the former Bachelor who came out as gay last year.
"We love a good launch," he wrote. "SO HAPPY FOR YOU."
The video came the day after Kiyoko celebrated the premiere of her new music video, "For the Girls," at Micky's in West Hollywood. At the event, the 31-year-old singer seemingly confirmed her romance with Tilley, who was there to support her. The PDA moment happened when Kiyoko brought Tilley onstage and gave her a kiss in front of the crowd.
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