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Here's The Refresher You Need On The Next Bachelorette, Clare Crawley

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There's a new Bachelorette on the block. On March 2, Good Morning America revealed a throwback Bachelor Nation fan-fave would be the new lead of The Bachelorette, and fans who didn't watch the shows a few years ago are naturally curious to learn more. These facts about the 2020 Bachelorette Clare Crawley will help you get to know her better.

Fans know ABC often chooses its new Bachelorette from the group of women who appeared on that year's Bachelor season. However, rather than choosing any of Peter Weber's contestants the network went a bit further back and invited a more seasoned franchise vet to become the lead. Clare has had four Bachelor experiences thus far, so fans are hoping her fifth time will be the charm.

Clare isn't the first "more-experienced" person ABC has invited back as the lead. In 2017, Arie Luyendyk Jr. was selected as the Bachelor five years after he competed in Season 8 of The Bachelorette, and the show has had a series of older leads (Byron Velvick of Season 6 was 40)... it's just that none of them have been women, so Clare is definitely breaking new ground.

Here are some facts to help you get acquainted with the new lead:

01
She Was Runner-Up On 'The Bachelor' In 2014

Clare made her first franchise appearance as a contestant on Season 18 of The Bachelor with Juan Pablo. Although she was the runner-up, she didn't become the next Bachelorette. (Second runner-up Andi Dorfman took that part in 2014).

02
She Was On 'Bachelor In Paradise' In 2014 & 2015

Following Clare's Bachelor run with Juan Pablo, she joined Season 1 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2014 and Season 2 in 2015. She went home without love both times and declared she was retiring from the franchise after her 2015 departure.

03
She Joined 'Bachelor Winter Games' In 2018

Clare took a few years off from Bachelor endeavors until she decided to appear on The Bachelor Winter Games in 2018. Winter Games was a spinoff show that featured contestants from various global adaptations of the franchise in winter sports competitions, while they tried to find love along the way. It aired four episodes over two weeks, in tandem with the 2018 Winter Olympics.

04
She Has Previously Been Engaged
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Clare found love on The Bachelor Winter Games in 2018 and got engaged to Benoit Beauséjour-Savard during The Bachelor Winter Games: World Tells All episode. Their engagement came as a surprise to many, since Benoit expressed deep feelings to Clare during the show, but she said she wanted to get to know another contestant, Christian Rauch, better, prompting Beauséjour-Savard to leave the show.

Nonetheless, Benoit proposed to Clare in the after-show special, and she said yes. However, the pair mutually agreed to split two months after their engagement.

05
Becoming The Bachelorette Was A Surprise For Her

On her March 2 appearance on Good Morning America, Clare said she found out she was chosen as the Bachelorette on February 29 and explained it was "so unexpected."

06
She’s 38 Years Old

Clare is 38 years old and will turn 39 on March 20, 2020, while filming The Bachelorette.

"I'm proud of my age, but I just feel younger, and I feel like that to me is what's important," she said on Good Morning America on March 2.

07
She Is The Oldest Bachelorette In Series History

At 38, Clare is now the oldest Bachelorette in the history of the show. Previously, Rachel Lindsay held this title (and she was only 32 when she filmed her Bachelorette season).

08
She Knows What She Wants

Clare thinks her age will play to her advantage in the upcoming season. "A lot of people put it out there as this negative thing, but for me, it just is more years under my belt, more learning and knowing what I want, what I don't want and what I won't settle for," she said during her Good Morning America appearance.

"The most important thing is I want a man that will take off his armor. I want a man who is strong, but is willing to take off the body armor, open himself up and be vulnerable," she added.

09
She Lives In Sacramento, California

She hails from the capital of California, and has tons of sun-filled pics to show for it.

10
She's A Hairstylist

Last year, Clare took to Instagram to commemorate her 10-year career as a hairstylist. "I’m still obsessed with my job and surrounded by some of the most amazing clients and friends ever," she expressed in the caption.

"I love connecting with people and being able to make a difference in their day, even if just for the few hours they sat in my chair," she also wrote about her career choice.

11
She’s The Youngest Of Six Sisters

On her Good Morning America appearance on March 2, Clare noted she is one of six sisters and expects she'll receive a "lot of feedback" from her family members. "I'm their little baby sister," she shared, noting this means fans will probably hear a ton of opinions from her family in the upcoming season.

12
She Has Two Dogs

Clare's Instagram features tons of photos of both of her pups, and her love for them is so adorbs.

13
She Is Outdoorsy

From the looks of her social media profiles, Clare is one outdoorsy gal. She posts lots of photos of her hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, and playing in the snow. Her Instagram bio says "Soil + Sun loving health enthusiast 🌿," and her photos indicate she lives up to that title.

14
She Can Stand Up For Herself

Clare became Bachelor famous after Juan Pablo dumped her on his season. She told him off in an epic showdown, during which she said: "I would never want my children having a father like you."

15
She Likes To Cook

Her Instagram features only two highlight reels: one for "Hair" and one titled "Food favs." In the latter highlight, she shares tons of photos of her healthy recipes.

16
She Had A Rough 2019

In a vulnerable Instagram post at the start of 2020, Clare revealed "2019 was awful tough," for her, adding: "I don’t show it often, but there were so many days where I wanted to just crumble. But my CHOSEN family, and 2 sisters fought right along side me when I was struggling ... They held me up when the weight of my mom's diagnosis crushed my soul." Although she didn't specify what happened with her mom or how she's doing now she did mention she was heading into the new year with renewed, positive energy.

17
She’s Inspirational

Clare's Instagram feed features lots of photos of positive quotes and encouraging captions.

18
She Likes To Travel

Clare is a certified jet-setter. Photos of her in San Diego, on top of mountains, in San Francisco, and on planes prove she's done her fair share of traveling.

19
She’s Philanthropic

Clare competed on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in 2016 during Bachelor Fan Favorites Week, during which seven contestants from the Bachelor franchise competed to win money for their favorite charities. She played to benefit the Getty Owl Foundation to support families affected by Spinal Muscular Atrophy, she mentioned in an Instagram post.

20
Her Season Of 'The Bachelorette' Premieres On May 18
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Clare's season of The Bachelorette will begin filming very soon, and will air its first episode on May 18, 2020, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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