Former “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise” star Blake Horstmann and his partner, “Love Is Blind” alum Giannina Gibelli, were robbed just an hour into an international trip.
The pickpocket got away with many of their valuables, and now they’re scrambling to replace them.
Blake Horstmann’s Family Had Just Arrived in France
On November 1, Horstmann shared the unfortunate news via his Instagram Stories. “Welp [expletive]… Less than an [hour] in and G. got pick pocketed (sic) thousands in cash, passports, jewelry everything,” he explained.
He added that they were at the police station as he posted and asked that followers share any advice that might help them.
Shortly after that, Horstmann returned to his Instagram Stories to respond to a flurry of messages he had received after his first post. He noted people messaged asking why they carried so much cash with them and criticizing their decision to do so.
Horstmann replied, “G had all that cash out to give to her family that lives out there… So yall can stop victim blaming now my god.”
He continued, “The amount of people saying we deserve it [is] insane. I swear the internet sometimes.”
Gibelli shared additional insight in her Instagram Stories on November 2. She said the experience felt “very violating,” but noted that it was not a violent encounter.
She explained the pickpocket slipped their hand into her purse as she wore it and took her wallet. Gibelli explained, “My wallet was my second purse, it was like a trifold, so it held a lot of stuff.”
In addition to a significant amount of cash that Gibelli planned to give as gifts to her family, the couple lost their passports and some sentimental pieces of jewelry of Gibelli’s.
“It was pretty traumatizing in the sense that I’m here with my family, my baby, and we were just trying to enjoy a trip that’s not about work,” Gibelli noted.
She said she was being vigilant, but it happened anyway. Gibelli shared, “There’s a lot of feelings involved with that.”
Gibelli also noted her family was safe, which was the most important thing.
They’ll need to stay in Paris, France, where they landed for a little longer than planned as they work with officials to resolve the issues of their stolen passports.
Bachelor Nation Had Lots to Say About the Incident
Horstmann’s initial Instagram Story prompted a flurry of comments in “The Bachelor” subreddit, many of them critical.
One critic wrote, “I’m sorry but why were you walking around with the contents of a bank safety box in Paris???”
Another critic quipped, “Carrying thousands of dollars and jewelry around? Are they cartoon characters?”
Someone countered, “They might be rich, but this is victim blaming and it’s not empathetic or cool. Besides, it’s very easy to get [pickpocketed] while traveling.”
A screenshot of Horstmann’s follow-up Instagram Story was shared on Reddit, too. The Reddit posts received hundreds of comments.
One Reddit user wrote, “No one deserves to be robbed obviously and thieves in Paris are wild but I don’t even think the original question of why they had that much cash is victim blaming?”
An additional response read, “I don’t understand these people that share everything on the internet then get mad when people give their opinions. You know how to stop people from giving their opinion…stop sharing!!”
Stacy Carey has been a freelance writer focusing on reality television and celebrity news for more than a decade. She is a Heavy contributor for The Bachelor, Hallmark and Dancing With the Stars. More about Stacy Carey
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