Chris Harrison: I had ‘deteriorated,’ was stalked after ‘Bachelor’ exit

His rose had wilted.

TV host Chris Harrison said in his highly anticipated interview on Monday that he physically had “deteriorated,” and was allegedly stalked, after being eliminated as host of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” series on ABC.

Harrison, who led the reality dating contest franchise since 2002, made the revelations in the debut episode of his new podcast “The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever.”

“I lost 20 pounds. I didn’t sleep, I didn’t eat,” said the 51-year-old. “It was just one gut-punch after the other, and mentally and physically I deteriorated pretty bad.”

Harrison resigned from his hosting gig in June 2021 after defending Season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell — who sparked outrage after it was revealed that she’d attended an Antebellum-themed wedding a few years prior to taping.

“The picture was from 2018 at an Old South Antebellum party. That’s not a good look,” a former contestant told Harrison during an interview with “Extra” in February 2021.

“Is it [not] a good look in 2018, or is it not a good look in 2021,” retorted Harrison.

Harrison soon apologized for his thoughtless rebuttal, and less than a week later announced his resignation. Meanwhile, some further accused the ABC series and its host of creating a toxic and racist atmosphere on set.

“I was heartbroken. I was gutted,” he said on the podcast. “I was embarrassed. I was mad at myself. I was disappointed in myself. The last thing in the world I ever wanted to do was be an agent of anything negative — whether it had to do with race or anything.”

Harrison also revealed that he and his fiancée, Lauren Zima, were stalked by the paparazzi.

“There were people parked outside of my house for weeks, following me everywhere we went,” said the father of two. “I would sneak down the hill of my house through my neighbor’s backyard and my buddy would pick me up.”

He went on to say that the apology came at a “very combustible moment in time” for Americans, who were then still grappling with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the backlash from the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

“My name became synonymous with this political, lightning-in-a-bottle moment,” he recalled, adding that he was feeling the heat from both sides of the political aisle. “All of a sudden someone on CNN is talking about me for purposes of the left. And then Ben Shapiro and whoever else is talking about me … so I was being used by the right.”

Despite his apology, which Harrison admits was “warranted,” he knew he couldn’t return to Bachelor Nation. “I had no problem putting out that first apology … But there was just so much noise at the time, it just didn’t matter. Apologies didn’t matter,” he said. “Even after that apology, we were still at ground zero. It was confusing and it was scary.”

The entertainer also shared the former cast members, including Catherine and Sean Lowe, Ben Higgins and Jake Pavelka, who reached out to him during the “ordeal” — while “certain” others, namely Nick Viall, were gunning for his job, he alleged.

Harrison also confessed he hasn’t watched the latest season — the first to air without him at the helm — hosted by former contestants Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe.

On his decision to leave the ABC series, Harrison said he was glad for the opportunity to “step away and get my life back,” and holds “no animosity” toward the “Bachelor” team. “I will forever be grateful.”