Though TV has been pretty good to Maine’s Ashley Hebert – she traveled the world and found a fiance while starring on two reality shows this year – she says her days on the small screen are over.
She told reporters Tuesday that people shouldn’t expect to see her on TV again.
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“Not unless you TiVoed the episodes (of “The Bachelorette”),” said Hebert, 27, a dental student from Madawaska.
Hebert spent much of Tuesday talking to reporters from around the country about Monday’s finale of “The Bachelorette,” in which she got engaged to J.P. Rosenbaum, a New Yorker.
Rumors swirled for months that once the photogenic and charismatic Hebert finished with “The Bachelorette,” ABC would feature her on “Dancing With the Stars.” She was captain of her dance team at the University of Maine, after all.
But Hebert and Rosenbaum told reporters during a conference call Tuesday that they are ready to move in together and settle into a more traditional romance.
When asked how they expect to avoid the prying eyes that inevitably follow reality TV romances, Hebert and Rosenbaum said they would try to live a more normal life.
“Our first date (outside of the show) will probably be sitting on the couch and ordering out,” Hebert said.
Hebert said she plans to finish dental school and move in with Rosenbaum in New York City, both within the next few months. She said she plans to apply for a license to practice dentistry.
When asked Tuesday if it might be easier for them to live somewhere a little quieter than New York City, Hebert said she isn’t worried.
“J.P. has a great job in New York. I think in New York, there would be a lot less (attention on the couple) than in Southern California,” Hebert said. “But it wouldn’t be like living in Madawaska, Maine.”
Hebert made no other mention of Maine during the conference call. As for Maine as a possible wedding site, the two said they have not started to think about a wedding date or site.
Hebert began 2011 as a contestant on ABC’s “The Bachelor” and finished third. That third-place finish – and the fact that she appears to be a natural on TV – convinced ABC to offer her the starring role in “The Bachelorette,” which began in May and ended Monday.
Usually, the stars of “The Bachelorette” get paid a significant amount of money. Neither ABC nor Hebert would say how much that was.
When asked on the conference call Tuesday whether they could avoid a breakup like those of other reality TV couples, Rosenbaum said he thought the surreal experience of dating on national TV has helped make their relationship stronger.
“We experienced things no one on the planet experiences, but we got past them and are focusing on sharing our lives together,” said Rosenbaum, 34, a construction manager. “Once filming wrapped, nothing between us faded.”
One thing they experienced was Hebert’s sister, Chrystie Corns, immediately deciding that Rosenbaum was wrong for her sister.
But after Monday’s season finale, Corns said on TV that she had been wrong. Rosenbaum said Tuesday that he and Corns are now “close.”
“The show really brought us together,” Hebert said. “We confided in each other, we communicated, dealt with jealousy and insecurity, and now we’re out in the real world. We’ve been engaged for two months but it feels like we’ve been together for years.”
Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at: rrouthier@pressherald.com
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