The Bachelor’s Nikki claims she has only had one boyfriend... but her 'ex' says otherwise

During her hometown visit on The Bachelor, Nikki Grogan told Richie Strahan that she’s only ever been in one relationship.

But now, a young man by the name of Scott Van Den Bosch has come out of the woodworks to claim that he dated The Bachelor contestant after she split with her fiancé Tim Verlinden, Confidential reports.

According to Scotty boy, they were so serious that she even went on a real-life hometown visit to meet his family in Dunedin, New Zealand... six months before Nikki went on The Bachelor.

“I thought things were going to be progressing,” the 28-year-old electrician told the publication.

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Nikki, on the other hand, told the paper that the pair were just “friends” and nothing serious.

“I did spend a small period of time with my friend Scott,” the 29-year-old real estate agent said. “I never considered this to be a serious relationship and we parted amicably.”

Talk about friend-zoned.

And then Scott dropped a massive bombshell, that Nikki may have already met Richie before heading into The Bachelor mansion.

“It was just from some things she said to me I got the feeling they'd already been together,” he said.

Remember that time Nikki told cameras on The Bachelor that she’d never been on a date? Well, her ex-fiance Tim wasn’t too chuffed about that statement.

“Come on,” he told Confidential. “No date, my arse.”

To which Nikki clarified: “In my last relationship, we spent most of our social time together with our friends and family. I believe a traditional date is being wined, dined and romanced and we never experienced this together.”

Speaking to Woman's Day, Nikki said that instead of marrying Tim last October she found herself applying for The Bachelor, while in Bali with a girlfriend.

"Looking back, I think I knew deep down something wasn't right for a while, but I got caught up in all the excitement," she told the magazine.

"I was definitely happy but I didn't cry," she said, recalling the moment Tim popped the question with a ring worth $25,000.

Nikki went on to say that Tim presented her with her "dream" pear-shaped ring that she had designed a few years earlier.

Despite trying to make their relationship work, Nikki said she "had to be true to her feelings" and breaking the news to her ex-partner and family was on of the hardest things she had to do.

"I knew it wasn't forever. Tim and I had been together for so long and we were on our own paths. We were so independent from each other."

She also denied claims that she ended her relationship purely to apply for the dating reality show and was still dividing the couple's assets when she sent in her application.

And it appears fans may see Nikki on the show for a while yet, with the Perth real estate agent caught in a slip of the tongue, indicating she MAY have found love with Richie.

When chatting to Access All Areas, Nikki seemed to get her tenses mixed up when talking about her connection with the rope access technician.

“When I first met him I was in his eyes immediately,” she said. “And that’s something that continues ... continued, continued,” she said, correcting herself.

She also hinted that her first kiss with Richie definitely wasn't the last.

“The first one was so good, I had to go back for more,” she continued.

Meanwhile, there's apparently been way more wining and dining off-screen than we've seen on-screen on The Bachelor this season. Well, according to Bachelor Richie anyway.

"There've been secret hideaways, secret cars and secret rendezvous so it has been another unique and exciting component that I've experienced," Richie told The Daily Telegraph.

Olena, Alex and Nikki are the final three ladies vying for Richie's reality TV love, with the season finale airing this Thursday on Network Ten.

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