Josh Murray and Amanda Stanton's relationship only grew stronger on Bachelor in Paradise despite frequent warnings and criticism, but the couple admits it was so hard to deal with they almost quit the show.
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After filming wrapped in June, Murray moved from Atlanta, GA, to Irvine, CA, in order to live in Stanton's apartment with her two daughters Kinsley, 4, and Charlie, 2.
Stanton and Murray are still thriving as couple, but the smear campaign "definitely did" put a strain on their relationship, according to Stanton.
As Bachelor in Paradise currently airs on TV, viewers have judged the couple's behavior and cast members are shown calling Murray fake and polished. Two of the guys driving the drama happen to be Evan Bass and Nick Viall -- Murray's rival from Andi Dorfman's season of The Bachelorette.
Stanton was accused of dumping Viall and treating him poorly once Murray arrived in Paradise, while Murray was slammed for hitting on Stanton only to piss off Viall and win another competition. (Murray won the heart of Dorfman when Viall had finished as her runner-up).
"It's hard having to defend your relationship. Listening to a bunch of people judge him wasn't easy, for sure," Stanton noted.
The situation worsened once cast members chatted about Dorfman's It's Not Okay memoir and warned Stanton of her allegations.
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Dorfman had insisted in the book Murray was verbally abusive, controlling and temperamental during their short-lived engagement. She called it the most "volatile and f-cked up" romance of her life.
"Hearing people talk about it behind my back was frustrating," Murray said of the memoir.
As previews show for upcoming episodes of Bachelor in Paradise, tension comes to a head when Murray faces the group as a whole and tries to defend his intentions and scrutinized past. Stanton's friends clearly feared Murray would end up hurting her.
However, Stanton and Murray adopted an us-against-the-world mentality during filming. They even considered quitting at one point just to get away from it all.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW"There was a time we were like, 'We've already found each other! We could go home and date,'" Stanton revealed to Us. "But I'm glad we didn't do that."
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But Stanton confessed the warnings did affect her confidence at times in her relationship with Murray, especially when a single dad like Bass -- whom she really respected -- voiced concern.
"It made me a little more cautious because going into the show, I didn't know anything about Josh. All of that was news to me. But it never made me question my feelings or gave me any doubts," Stanton said.
Viall also approached Stanton on the show to suggest she ask Murray the tough questions sooner rather than later -- because he's made similar mistakes in the past and learned from them. Viall delivered his advice, however, after viewers watched Stanton brutally dump him for Murray.
"I had a big crush on him going into Paradise. He was someone I wanted to get to know, but I just felt the spark wasn't there. The night before Josh arrived, Nick and I were talking," Stanton explained to Us.
"We both said we wanted to get to know other people. We made it clear we were on the same page: We had fun, but it was still early on and we were keeping our options open. Cameras talked our talk, but it didn't air."
Although Stanton didn't feel she blindsided Viall by choosing Murray, she still wishes she would have said something now that she's seen how upset he was in Paradise.
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"No, not at all. And it's sad that that's how it's being perceived. I had no problems with Nick -- I never have. Nick is his own person searching for love. Everybody wants to make it seem like there's this rivalry. I truly, honestly wish everybody nothing but the best all the time," Murray said.
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Despite all the talk and speculation surrounding Dorfman's book, both Stanton and Murray still claim they haven't read it, nor are they the least bit curious.
"I've been asked about it in interviews, so I know pretty much everything she wrote. Yes, there's a trueness in there, but it's twisted in such a way that makes it the worst lie possible because it's believable. I'm not perfect by any means, but I think I'm pretty decent!" said Josh, who has called the book "fiction."
"You can call me naive, but I had no idea that was going to be brought up. It was a long, long time ago. I didn't think people would care."
"I haven't read it either," Stanton noted.
She elaborated, "I know Josh pretty well now myself, so it's not something I'm too worried about... I don't think it's fair to read a book someone's ex wrote about them. I know if my ex wrote a book about me, I wouldn't want Josh to read it."
After dating Murray for almost three months now, Stanton stands by her instincts and insists Murray is a wonderful partner.
"He hasn't been controlling. He's definitely not abusive. We're on a show where everyone is dating each other, so I think a little bit of jealousy is almost cute and flattering," Stanton explained, clearly confirming Murray has a bit of a jealous streak in him.
"Everyone's a little bit jealous. I think that's normal and natural, especially in the early stages of a relationship, but nothing crazy or out of the ordinary."
Murray reacted to Stanton's assessment by saying he has "nothing to worry about whatsoever."
"I'm just going to be the best person I can be all the time. That's all I can do," noted Murray, who sweetly said he hoped Stanton would be in Paradise when he initially joined the show.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
