Nick Viall Shares Brutally Honest Opinion On Finding TRUE Love On 'The Bachelor'

Nick Viall is well-known in Bachelor Nation. The 42-year-old first made an appearance in the franchise eight years ago when he went onto season 10 of "The Bachelorette." He was the runner-up.

Viall then appeared on the 11th season of "The Bachelorette" where he was once again the runner-up. He returned to the franchise again when he appeared on the third season of "Bachelor In Paradise," before then being announced as the bachelor for season 21 of "The Bachelor."

Now, the reality television star is speaking out on if it's truly possible to find actual true love in the franchise.

Ever since first making an appearance in Bachelor Nation, Nick Viall has become a to-go for advice. Starting his “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast, the 42-year-old still follows every season of "The Bachelor," "The Bachelorette," and "Bachelor In Paradise," having contestants on his show to discuss the drama of it all. He also shares details of his life outside of Bachelor Nation.

Viall recently spoke to Esquire, revealing his honest opinion and thoughts with 'The Bachelor' franchise. “On the show, you’re feeling excitement and lust and chemistry, but real love is trust and security and the feeling that your partner knows who you are, which is all impossible to have on 'The Bachelor'," he said.

"Real love isn’t possible in that environment, but real feelings are. Sometimes they turn into love, and sometimes they just get confused with love because of the general excitement level. But in the moment, it’s real,” he continued.

And on his “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast, Nick Viall further explained how he interprets finding "love" on the reality television franchise:

“That’s just my interpretation of love, as I see it having experienced various feelings throughout my life. To me, love is about that trust and that understanding of where you are and not constantly worrying about how someone feels about you. And the whole premise of 'The Bachelor' is to be kept in the dark about how someone feels about you until the very end. And that is not building trust and understanding.

And there’s so little we get to know about the people we end up in relationships [with], but truly, I felt real feelings. I would never take back what I said in any of those times because in that moment, I meant it and I felt it. I just realized after getting out of that world that wasn’t necessarily the type of love that I feel like I have in my relationship now or the type of love I desired in relationships when I was dating outside of 'The Bachelor'. But again, the feelings are real.”

Most recently, Viall wrote a book "Don’t Text Your Ex Happy Birthday," where he shares everything he has learned about relationships, dating and sex. To promote the new book, Viall sat down with US to discuss his relationship advice.

“I’m very reluctant for that ‘[relationship] expert’ kind of phrase. I feel far more comfortable with ‘that friend you need, but maybe don’t want,’ or that kind of older brother [who gives] sage advice."

He continued:

"I didn’t write this book coming from a place of any type of expertise, but just as someone who had his own bumps and along the way, has felt stuck. [I] had struggled with ghosting, being cheated on and asking myself questions — ‘Why would she say this and then do that?’ I understand that I come from a man’s perspective on dating, but some of those fears and concerns with dating are universal regardless of your gender or sexual orientation. We all come from different struggles and it’s not to compare anyone’s struggles, but the place I wrote it from. … I try to include a lot of empathy and understanding [by] sharing my stories and the struggles I’ve had.”

Viall also opened up on moving on from the past, especially the hard heartbreaks, and how he found love with his current girlfriend, Natalie Joy.

“I think [the chapter] I’m most optimistic that might help the most people is the last chapter,” he told US in reference to chapter 10 of his book. “I’m someone who had a really hard time getting over some heartbreaks, and that can just be such a daunting thing. We will find a lot of ways not to get over someone because we love them, or we miss what we had. And it’s hard to let go of things. But it’s not healthy to hold on to toxic things in a relationship that no longer exists. Someone [who] doesn’t wanna be with you — while hard to accept — when you hold onto it, it just really truly eats you up inside.”

Nick Viall's book, "Don’t Text Your Ex Happy Birthday," is out now.