Bachelor star Matt Agnew reveals new romance as he opens up about dating life struggles and the moment he was admitted to a mental health hospital: ‘I just hit rock bottom’

Matt Agnew has struck up a new romance with a mystery woman and revealed he is officially off the dating market.

The Bachelor star, 37, is a bachelor no more as he opened up about his love life in a wide ranging interview with Daily Mail Australia on Friday.

While he didn’t let slip any detail about his new love, he did reveal the difficulties he faced while dating in the public eye—and the shocking moment he ‘hit rock bottom’.

‘I’m prioritising my love life, yes, love life. I’m seeing someone. So not actively dating,’ he said when asked how he was currently fairing in the dating pool.

‘I have prioritised it. Not actively dating. Yeah, seeing someone,’ he repeated, doing his best to keep the details private—and for good reason.

He went on to say dating as a public figure brought with it a whole host of obstacles he never had to worry about before shooting to fame on The Bachelor in 2019.

Matt Agnew (pictured) has struck up a new romance with a mystery woman and revealed he is officially off the dating market

‘It’s challenging. It’s one of the reasons I am so fiercely private despite the fact I went on national television to date,’ the astrophysicist said.

‘I am fiercely private about my dating life because it is much harder to date while in the public eye.’

Matt went on to say starring in the Channel Ten matchmaking series has forced him to become more aware of whether people only want to date him for the ‘novelty’ of it.

‘In terms of trying to discern and understand people’s intentions, it’s not as hard as it sounds,’ he said when asked how he figures out who is in it for the right reasons.

‘People are usually forthcoming about the fact they have watched [The Bachelor].

‘It ends up being quite obvious early on if a person is more interested in the novelty of finding out what happened on the show.’

Matt went on to say his ‘ideal scenario’ was meeting someone on the dating apps who didn’t recognise him and didn’t watch The Bachelor.

He said people who had no idea who he was were more likely to want to get to know him on a more personal level away from his public persona.

The Bachelor star is a bachelor no more as he opened up about his love life in a wide ranging interview with Daily Mail Australia on Friday. Pictured with Bachelor co-star Abbie Chatfield

Though the awkward moment would always come around when he had to break the news of his TV fame to them.

‘Usually if we progress to exchange social media details… having 130,000 followers and a blue tick usually prompts questions,’ he said.

‘That’s usually the natural point I say, “Look, I was on television a few years ago.” It’s usually that point I bring it up.’ 

While Matt has never had a preference dating someone either in the public eye or out of the public eye, he said there are benefits to being with another media personality.

‘I’ve dated both people who have been in the media and entertainment circle and those who are not. There are definitely differences,’ he explained.

‘When dating people who have been in the public eye in that sort of entertainment, social media orbit, there is an extra level of understanding about things. 

‘It makes certain things easier if you attend an event together, there is a sense of how things like a red carpet works. It seems really trivial, but it can be intimidating. 

‘I’ve had in the past where I’ve been on a few dates with someone, it’s gone really well, and they’ve said they can’t deal with the public stuff.’ 

While he didn’t let slip any detail about his new love, he did reveal the difficulties he faced while dating in the public eye. Pictured with friend MasterChef star Khanh Ong

‘It’s unfortunate when it happens, because if that is the only thing stopping us then it’s frustrating,’ he added.

Matt’s love life has long been the topic of headlines after he broke Abbie Chatfield’s heart on the 2019 series of The Bachelor, though they are now close friends.

The handsome bachelor chose to pursue a relationship with Chelsie McLeod, though they announced their split just a few months after the finale.

He later confirmed he was dating comedian Gen Fricker, before revealing he was again single not long after.

Over the years, he has been romantically linked to several different people, such as ‘croissant queen’ Kate Reid and openly gay MasterChef star Khanh Ong.

However, Matt denied both those relationships, taking particular exception to the fact people kept reading into his close and affectionate friendship with Khanh.

Thankfully, despite his past love woes, it seems Matt is now very happy with his current mystery partner.

While he didn’t wish to say how long the pair have been together, the TV star sounded content with where his life, both in and out of love, has progressed.

‘I’m prioritising my love life, yes, love life. I’m seeing someone. So not actively dating,’ Matt said. Pictured with his Bachelor pick Chelsie McLeod

Which is quite the relief, as Matt said that wasn’t the case just a handful of years ago.

‘My lowest point was in 2021. I just hit rock bottom,’ he said when the topic of mental health came up—something Matt is a very public advocate for.

‘I was experiencing really strong suicidal ideation. At times, I acted on those things.

‘On the very fortunate case I was unsuccessful, I managed to pull myself out of the hole.

‘One of the reasons I got through was the love and support of friends and family, and also having the financial means to seek out additional professional health care.

‘I ended up being admitted into a mental health hospital for several weeks. That’s not something every Australian has access to.’

Matt went on to acknowledge how privileged he feels to have had the means and support network to seek help in his darkest moment.

‘I’m lucky to have a loving unit to support me. It’s not something every Australian has,’ he said.

‘It’s really hard for me to see what the best way for people to get through the dark times are because some people aren’t in as fortunate spots.

‘I hope everyone has friends, family and a loving support network to help nurse them through and get them off rock bottom, but that’s unfortunately not always the case.’

Matt said his passion for ‘normalising’ mental illness to help those battling with it was a big part of the reason he teamed up with MYOB and its new Solo app.

Solo by MYOB is the all-in-one business admin app for Australian sole operators.

Customers get access to an online community of fellow sole traders to share advice and practical tips, fostering collaboration and reducing isolation.

According to the company, 60 per cent of male sole trader respondents agree they are physically or mentally exhausted by the demands of being a sole trader.

While 54 per cent feel lonely or isolated at times as a male sole trader, which Matt says can worsen the effects of mental illness.

‘It’s something I’ve been very vocal about for a long time. A large portion of that is attributed to my own experiences battling mental illness over the years,’ Matt said.

‘I was first diagnosed with anxiety over two decades ago when I was 12 or 13 years old. It’s something I’ve managed over my lifetime.

‘More recently, I’ve had depression and bipolar diagnoses as well. It’s something I’ve battled with personally.

‘I’ve had some really dark moments I have been quite candid and open about publicly. Talking about it, I think, is still really important to normalise those conversations.

‘Make people battling their own mental illnesses feel there is nothing wrong with them.’

If you or someone you know is struggling, please contact Lifeline for 24 hour support at 13 11 14.