The Stunning Transformation Of Kelley Flanagan

When Kelley Flanagan first stepped on the set of "The Bachelor" in 2019, she was a relative nobody. As a recent law school grad working for her family's law firm in Chicago, the brunette had no previous TV experience, as Kelley's LinkedIn page shows. Nonetheless, she went through the "Bachelor" casting process, partially "to learn about the entertainment industry," as she put it in an interview with "Business Unusual." Within months, Kelley's name was making headlines, thanks to her very public romantic connection to "Bachelor" lead Peter Weber (via People).

According to Kelley, this abrupt transition from anonymity to fame was not easy. In an interview with Access Hollywood, the former TV star opened up about how her life has changed after her appearance on The Bachelor: "In terms of how my life has changed post-show, it's a lot. It's a lot. I always tell people that the highs are really high, but the lows hit really, really low." Kelley then went on to describe the mentality that has helped her cope with her newfound fame. "You got to learn how to be comfortable with yourself. You got to learn to try to drown out the noise if you can," she explained.

All of these lifestyle changes ultimately changed Kelley. As she herself admitted to Access Hollywood, "Overall, coming off the show, it's a big transformation."

Kelley Flanagan may have been a rebellious teen, but that didn't stop her from becoming an academic powerhouse. For high school, landed a spot at the prestigious Culver Academy boarding school. According to her interview with "Talking It Out," this experience allowed Kelley to develop close ties with people from other cultures. "A lot of my friends have been from the Middle East, or from China, or [from] all over the world. And I was able to do that because my parents did send me to that boarding school," she revealed.

In college, Kelley was able to grow her interest in international leadership. At the University of Alabama, she served as a Global Ambassador for the Semester at Sea program as well as a liaison for the global artisan group Serengetee (per Us Weekly). And these extracurricular activities did not prevent Kelley from earning good grades. She reportedly made the Dean's List for academic excellence before earning a seat at Chicago-Kent College of Law.

All of these impressive achievements may lead some to wonder where Kelley's motivation comes from. The former "Bachelor" contestant admits to holding high expectations for herself from a young age. As she told "Talking It Out," "[My parents] didn't push me. They weren't like, 'You have to go [to boarding school].' I put pressure on myself."

While Kelley Flanagan wasn't 100% certain about going on "The Bachelor," she also wasn't entirely closed off to the idea. "I didn't really want to do this at first. I kept saying there would be a sign from God to tell me if I should do this," she told People. 

Luckily for Kelley, she didn't have to wait too long for her answer. As Kelley told Off The Vine, while she was attending a friend's wedding at a hotel in Malibu, she spotted future Bachelor Peter Weber in the lobby (via Refinery 29). Kelley approached Peter, introduced herself, and asked him about his time on the show. The two ended up talking for hours and Weber said being on "The Bachelorette" was the "best experience of [his] life."

For Kelley, meeting Peter before filming even started was "a major sign" to go on The Bachelor (via Refinery 29). In fact, Kelley's whole interaction with Peter in Malibu is what convinced her to participate in the program at all, Kelley told Business Unusual. 

Unfortunately, since Kelley Flanagan's personality didn't translate well to the show's environment, Peter Weber eliminated her one week before hometown dates. The pair had their final conversations during a three-on-one date in Peru, which did not exactly paint Kelley in a positive light.

In the episode, Peter grilled her about her true motivation for going on the show, implying that she went on "The Bachelor" to have a good time and not to find a husband (per Hollywood Life). In the end, Kelley was not able to convince her on-screen beau that she was there for marriage and she left the reality show in 5th place. 

While Kelley was certainly disappointed with her elimination, she didn't let the letdown sour her relationships with the other contestants. Instead, she chose to foster close friendships with the other women from the show. In an interview with "Chicks in the Office," Kelley revealed a deep friendship with the 3rd place finisher from her season. "Kelsey Weier and I talk every single day for, like, hours," she said. The best part is that Kelsey hasn't been afraid to show Kelley a whole lot of love on her social media pages. In one Instagram post, Kelsey even goes as far as to call Kelley her "best friend."

Even as Kelley Flanagan's life evolved after the show, she couldn't seem to stay away from Peter Weber. In 2020, the ambitious career woman ran into her old flame at the Miami Super Bowl (per E! News). The pair started chatting, swapped numbers, and within months, they were in a 100% committed relationship.

According to Peter, this off-screen phase of their love story allowed the pair to get to know each other in a much more genuine way. "We've truly spent probably every single day with each other," Weber divulged in a 2020 exclusive with ET. "I think that is just what has shown us that this is working. It's super just natural and organic."

In the ET exclusive, Kelley couldn't help but agree with her beau. She went on to explain how her time on the show prevented Peter from seeing the real her. "[Peter] didn't even really get to know me that well on the show," Kelley said. "But, like, I saw a lot of compatibility things that added up between him and I. But, he [didn't] necessarily know that. He didn't know me."

Luckily, this didn't stop Kelley and Peter from getting to know each other after the cameras stopped rolling. "For whatever reason, we just didn't really get to know each other super well on the show. It wasn't our cup of tea. But in real life, after, it's just been seamless," Peter told ET.

From the outside, Kelley Flanagan's life may appear to be picture-perfect, with a blossoming career and a chic new South Florida flat. However, this image doesn't tell the full story. According to Kelley's business page, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease at the end of 2021. Unfortunately, this major health challenge hasn't been easy for the influencer. "It's a blessing and a curse because now I can target why I feel off so often but also means several different lifestyle changes and extensive research on how to help/hopefully cure this," she divulged in an Instagram post.

While Kelley is certainly dedicated to her goal of recovery, the path forward isn't necessarily easy. In an exclusive with Us Weekly, the former reality star confessed that her treatment plan is going to be pretty extreme. "I'm flying to Boston to figure it out and go see the doctors there and just kind of learn how to maneuver it, but it's going to be intense: No carbs, no sugar, an oxygen tank for, like, 30 minutes a day, brainwaves lasers," she told the outlet. Although this medical approach may sound overwhelming, Kelley has expressed a positive attitude about getting through it. "It's going to be extensive, but I'm ready to tackle it," she shared.

Kelley's diagnosis also meant she had to put practicing law on hold, she revealed on "Talking It Out with Bachelor Nation" in May 2022 (via Bachelor Nation). "I might go back into it, just not necessarily with my family's firm. I might do something else with my law degree," she explained. "For right now, I'm not doing law."