After an emotional episode of Big Brother: Royalty Vs New Contenders, Tully Smyth has defended her decision to eliminate her ex-boyfriend Anthony Drew (AKA Drew) from the show.
The 34-year-old explained her side of the story, when she took to Instagram after the episode aired on Thursday night.
‘Here is the first and last thing I’ll say about tonight’s episode,’ she began her lengthy statement.
Setting the record straight: Tully defended her decision to eliminate her ex-boyfriend Anthony Drew from Big Brother this week
‘Big Brother is supposed to be a fun experience- and it was, 90per cent of the time – but I was certainly being challenged.’
‘I was on the back foot from the moment I entered the house, alone and late.
‘It’s sometimes hard to focus on the positives when I often feel misunderstood by social media, but I believe caring deeply is admirable.’
‘Being able to see good qualities in someone who hurt you and to be able to be friends with them shows compassion and emotional intelligence. Most people can’t do that.’
The reality star went on to note that she remains ’empathetic’ to the situation and voting Drew out, left her ‘torn between my head and my heart.’
‘I went in with intentions to prove myself, doing something on my own but I also had to be true to my values and integrity,’ she added.
‘I still cared what happened to Drew, as my friend of nine years.’
Empathy: Tully says she wants the best for for Drew but also wanted to stand on her own two feet
Tully continued: ‘Making the decision to vote for him was hard because it felt counterintuitive – I want the best for him, always… but I also wanted him to leave so I could finally stand on my own two feet. Play my own game, without having to do him any favours or worry about his position.
‘Just because people may not understand that doesn’t change who I am.
‘I had three words that I would always repeat to myself during my second time in the house: grace, empathy and integrity.’
Proud moment: Tully doesn’t regret voting her ex out of the show
Tully also said she’s ‘proud ‘ of her decision, adding that throughout her time on Big Brother she wanted to hold herself with ‘grace, have empathy always and play with integrity.’
‘Love me or hate me, I am proud of how I’ve played this time around,’ she said.
‘And believe it or not (and you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise thanks to these dramatic promos featuring me ugly crying better than Kim Kardashian) I had fun doing it.
‘Love me or hate me’: Tully sparked controversy in a previous season for having an affair
‘The MOST fun. I had the time of my life! And how lucky that I got to experience it all a second time?
‘Now… let’s see what’s in store for me next week.’
Tully’s statement comes after the Big Brother housemates were forced to vote a fellow contestant out on the spot on Thursday night’s episode.
Emotional: Tully broke down in tears when she voted ex Drew out of the compound
The housemate, who was on Big Brother Australia 10 prior to this season, broke down in tears when she made the decision to cast her vote on Drew.
‘I said I wanted to come in here and play on my own this time, and it’s been really hard to do that,’ she said on the show.
‘My point’s going on Drew… I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry… Oh, God, my heart.’
‘I’m so sorry’: The housemates were all emotional as they were forced to eliminate a housemate on the spot
Drew subsequently packed his bags and prepared for his exit after receiving the most votes.
But with every season, comes a classic twist.
In a shock turn of events, Drew was sent to a secret room called The Mainframe, so he technically still remains in the Big Brother house and is set to return soon.
Tully and Drew have a controversial history, after making headlines during the 2013 season when they became embroiled in an affair.
Shocking twist: In classic Big Brother fashion, Drew was sent to a secret room called The Mainframe and will return to the show soon
She sparked outrage after cheating on her then-girlfriend Tahlia Farrant with Drew.
Speaking on the Shameless podcast in 2019, the star said she regretted what happened and the ‘hurt’ she caused other people.
‘There were six weeks when I was out there alone. [Drew] never had to deal with the repercussions of what happened,’ she recalled.
‘He was a rock star that turned a lesbian and I was a cheating sl**ty homewrecker.’
Controversial: During the 2013 season of Big Brother, Tully sparked outrage when she cheated on her then-girlfriend Tahlia Farrant with fellow housemate Drew
Originally posted 2022-06-10 05:20:35.