Bachelor Richie Strahan has declared his love for Melbourne single mother Alexandra Nation in a surprise ending to The Bachelor Australia.
Against a romantic Balinese backdrop, the 31-year-old rope access technician from Perth told Alex, 25, she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with after he sent home fan favourite Nikki Gogan.
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Bachelor Australia: Richie follows his heart
Bachelor Richie Strahan has fallen for Melbourne single mother Alexandra Nation in a surprise ending to the latest season of The Bachelor Australia. Vision courtesy Network Ten.
"Alex, all I want is someone who's going to be my equal, someone who's going to run with me, someone who's going to push and challenge me and you are that and more," Richie declared during Thursday night's finale.
"Coming down this adventure, I was told to follow my heart and following my heart has lead me to you, Alex. I love you."
![Alex Nation and Richie Strahan after Nation was named the winner of <i>The Bachelor</i> during the season four finale ...](/web/20160917010201im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/h/g/7/s/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grhe1f.png/1474000728508.jpg)
The ending rocked fans of the Channel Ten show who expected runner up Nikki Gogan to win. The blonde real estate agent lives an hour from Richie in Perth and was clearly favoured by his mum, Kate, and sister, Alana.
Kate came down hard on Richie when she discovered Alex had a five-year-old son, Elijah, telling him, "this is a bigger issue than you seem to have thought about".
But speaking to Fairfax Media hours before the finale went to air, Richie said he had his mother's total support.
"My mum really likes Alex. I was always going to follow my heart. As much as you think your family would have a big influence on your decision, at the end of the day it's me in that relationship. My mum is just happy that I'm extremely happy."
![Perth-based Nikki Gogan made for a gracious runner up, wishing Richie all the best](/web/20160917010201im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/h/g/7/t/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grhe1f.png/1473990349589.jpg)
Through tears, a clearly-shocked Nikki told Richie she still loved him and just wanted him to be happy.
"I thought what we had was special but what you have with Alex must just top all of that, so good luck," she said.
![The Bachelor Richie with his final two - Nikki and Alex](/web/20160917010201im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/g/l/s/l/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grhe1f.png/1473983250859.jpg)
An overjoyed Alex said while she was the "harder option" she knew wholeheartedly she had found love with Richie.
Alex and Richie said they had been in non-stop contact since the finale was filmed in May, with secret rendezvous every two to three weeks. The pair have been given aliases by the network and each other to keep the secret under wraps.
![Alex Nation and Richie Strahan.](/web/20160917010201im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/h/g/7/p/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.grhe1f.png/1474019181635.jpg)
Alex said it had been hard to keep the relationship a secret from friends and family, with only her mum knowing she was the bachelor's chosen girl.
"I've just been bursting at the seams with excitement. I'm just filled abundantly with happiness," she told Fairfax Media ahead of the finale. "People ask me questions and it's so hard to try and dull it down when you're just so happy."
The now-taken bachelor said he always felt the biggest connection with Alex, to whom he gave a coveted white rose on their first night in the mansion.
"I was always so happy to be around her. It was just beautiful. Looking back, there were many moments that made it so clear to me that she was the girl I was falling for."
Richie choosing Alex harks back to an almost-identical finale in 2015, when Bachelor Sam Wood chose single mother Snezana Markoski. Located in Melbourne and Perth, the now-engaged pair had a long distance relationship before buying a house together in Melbourne.
Alex, a venue manager on Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula, said she and WA-based Richie had had plenty of time to discuss the future over the past three months.
"We've obviously spoken about the geography behind it all and I said I don't want to pull Elijah out of school and move him away from his father."
"I think we're going to start in Melbourne and create a home based in Melbourne together but we'll always have that home base in Perth too."
When quizzed about the similarity between her relationship with Sam and Snezana's, Alex said she had no idea, admitting she had never watched an episode of The Bachelor Australia before applying.
Richie is yet to meet Elijah but Alex said her son was very keen to meet him after being taken with Richie's adrenaline-fuelled hobbies.
"I'm just really excited to meet him," Richie said, praising Alex for being grounded and having a good head on her shoulders.
"Alex is a remarkable woman and she's got so many qualities that I absolutely adore."
After being released from their Network Ten responsibilities - which will run into next week - Richie said the first thing he wanted to do was simply take Alex out to dinner. "I just can't wait to be with her."