The Bachelor winner Vanessa Grimaldi talks Montreal, marriage and charity work
Montrealer has started new foundation to champion adult education programs in Canada
It wasn't so long ago that Montrealer Vanessa Grimaldi was being proposed to live on air during this year's season finale of ABC's The Bachelor.
"Nick is one of a kind," she told CBC's Daybreak. "I remember during my first one-on-one date with him, there was a spark that we had."
The season finale of the dating-oriented reality TV show aired March 13, when Grimaldi walked away with a 3.75-carat diamond ring.
Grimaldi said going into the finale, she had no idea that Nick would choose her.
"I never knew it was going to be me at the end of this," she said. "The way that he used to look at me spoke volumes. And that's all I needed."
Relationship in spotlight
As is the case with many Bachelor and Bachelorette couples, the pair continues to be a widely covered topic in the tabloids, with print and online publications fixating on their relationship.
Grimaldi told Daybreak host Mike Finnerty that the attention was something she had to get used to.
"We're very private people. But as soon as you step out of the house you don't know who's watching you," she said. "If we're holding hands or not holding hands, people will try and make a story."
At home in Montreal, however, Grimaldi says the reaction has been nothing but pleasant.
"Montreal has been extremely supportive. People are very respectful here. They will come up to me and show their support, but they won't really hound me."
New charitable foundation
In the months since Grimaldi's win, she's chosen to use her newfound fame to create buzz around her new charitable foundation called "No Better You."
The foundation focuses on helping fund special education programs, raising awareness and empowering students who have learning disabilities.
Grimaldi says it's not likely that she'll be back in front of a camera anytime soon, saying that she'd rather be in front of a classroom.
She's currently living in Los Angeles with Viall and planning the foundation's first fundraiser in a few months' time.
No wedding date yet
While many viewers of the show are anxious to see Viall and Grimaldi tie the knot, she says no date has been set.
She told CBC that while her parents were a little concerned when she first told them about the show, they came around after getting to meet her new beau.
"They realized just how much I was in love with Nick," she said.
And while she's keeping mum about what's next for the couple, she says there is "probably" a big Italian wedding in the future.
With files from CBC Daybreak