Exclusive

Inside Morgan Willett's Journey to Healing After Johnny Bananas Breakup

In an exclusive interview with E! News, The Challenge's Morgan Willett shared her thoughts on dating on—and off—reality TV following her split from Johnny Bananas.

By Mike Vulpo Dec 02, 2021 6:20 PMTags
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If you thought breaking up was hard, try doing it in the public eye.

Back in September, E! News confirmed that Morgan Willett and Johnny Bananas had split after meeting on The Challenge in 2019. While Morgan has tried her best to put on a happy face, the reality star recently admitted to having a "hard" past couple of months

"People see the girl on the Internet and she's smiling and shimmying," she exclusively told E! News on Dec. 1. "But behind all of that is a person who is struggling. I try and be open about that. Some people like it, some people don't. I've just realized I've got to do what's best for me at this point."

Three months after her breakup, Morgan stepped out with friends to celebrate the winter season at the Dodgers Holiday Festival in Los Angeles. And while some have advised her to move on with a new guy, she's just not ready yet.

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"I want to heal first so I can be the best version of myself before I ever move on to another relationship," she explained. "That's where I'm currently at. I'm not looking for anyone, not looking for someone to slide in the DMs. But I'm just trying to really focus on myself and feel better before I can give myself to someone else."

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Dodgers Holiday Festival

In a September interview with E! News, Johnny briefly addressed his split from Morgan and explained that it's something he was "really going to keep close to the cuff."

"I think we're both really going through it right now," he said. "I wish her all the best and I'll just leave it at that." 

These days, Morgan tries to see the positive, like when fans look to her as an example. "I can show women that you are strong and you are worthy and you're beautiful and you deserve everything," she shared. "And if you're not getting that, then it's OK to leave a situation."

And while sparks flew between Johnny and Morgan when they appeared on The Challenge: War of the Worlds in 2019, she has no interest in dipping her feet back into the world of reality TV. At least, not right now.  

"I think I've learned my lesson and you're probably not going to find love on reality TV. I'm going to look elsewhere," she said. "I'm looking for someone who wants to build a life with me and doesn't just want to fit me into their life."

Morgan added, "I want to be respected. I want to feel like the only girl in the room and I want to feel like the queen that I know that I am because I feel like I haven't gotten that just yet."

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