Kaitlyn Bristowe Reflects on Body Dysmorphia Ahead of Swimsuit Photoshoot

Kaitlyn Bristowe reflected on her body dysmorphia battle ahead of a swimsuit photoshoot.

The Bachelorette alum, 38, revealed in her Instagram Story on Sunday, March 24, that she’s “nervous” about the shoot “because we are not editing any of the photos.”

“But I need to celebrate the small wins,” she wrote over a photo of junk food. “5 years ago I would have thought I need[ed] to eat air and grilled chicken to prep. Right now in this moment I’m [thinking] ‘ugh I love snacks. Eating these snacks aren’t going to change my body overnight AND … working out and not feeding my body will only make me miserable.’”

Bristowe added that she’s “gonna be hard on myself no matter what,” but wants to “love on this body that I keep strong and healthy.”

“I still struggle but recognizing growth is a WIN, Body [dysmorphia] is real,” she added.

The TV personality’s body image isn’t the only thing she has opened up about struggling with in recent times.

During a February episode of Bristowe’s “Off the Vine” podcast, cohost Stassi Schroeder asked Bristowe if ever lost her sex drive.

“Yeah, oh, yeah, it was gone,” she replied. “I thought I was asexual. I literally thought I was asexual.”

When Schroeder asked whether this occurred to Bristowe during a romance, she said that it occurred “at the end” of a relationship.

“I was like, ‘I think at this point I could see myself more with a woman’ — I actually thought that — than a man,” Bristowe recalled. “I get it. Like, I think women are hot. I could do that.”

Bristowe described noticing a difference after dating a couple of men.

“I had that urge. … I was like, ‘Ooh, I kinda would like to hook up,’” she said. “I was really proud of myself for that because I was like, ‘OK, I’m not the desert down there.’”

Bachelor Nation first saw Bristowe when she competed for the affection of Chris Soules during The Bachelor’s 19th season in 2015. Despite not receiving Soules’ final rose, she later became one of the dual leads in Season 11 of The Bachelorette alongside fellow contestant Britt Nilsson. Bristowe emerged as the winner when the male contestants voted for the woman they wanted to remain as the lead.

Ultimately, Bristowe ended the hit ABC dating show engaged to Shawn Booth. The couple were together for three years before calling off their engagement in November 2018. Bristowe moved on with former Bachelorette contestant Jason Tartick whom she started dating in January 2019. They split in August 2023, two years after getting engaged.