Bachelor Brad on Criminal Past: "It Builds Character"

Reality star addresses his arrest record from when he was younger

By Peter Gicas Jan 21, 2011 7:10 PMTags
Brad Womack, The BachelorABC/RICK ROWELL

Here's a quality that bachelorettes might find appealing—a guy who's actually willing to admit he's made mistakes.

In the wake of the news earlier this week that Brad Womack, who is again lookin' for love on the latest season of The Bachelor, has a bit of a checkered past, the 38-year-old Texas bar owner is openly and honestly addressing it.

"I'm sure I wouldn't be the first to admit that I had a couple of missteps when I was a teenager—some 20-odd years ago," Womack says in a statement referring to past busts for forging a driver's license, public intoxication and passing a bad check.

"Some of the claims have been blown out of proportion, but I took responsibility for my actions and took immediate measures to remedy the situation," he points out. "It was just part of my growing pains back when I was still young and naïve. You learn from your experiences good and bad—and you move on. It ultimately builds character."

And it doesn't hurt your chances of landing on TV again that much, either.