Tully Jensen‘s exit from My Antonio was probably one of the most emotional ones ever seen on reality television. Most viewers found themselves rooting for Tully by the time she got to the final 3.
In a new interview with VH1, Tully discusses her emotional exit, getting over Antonio again, being betrayed by Christi and why she never wants to be like Antonio’s mother, Yvonne.
Excerpts from Tully’s interview is below –
How have you been emotionally since shooting the show?
After coming home, going through a three-month recuperation for my injury took my mind off things a little bit. But then watching the show brought up every single emotion that I had during the experience. The final show was like ripping a scab off the wound.
What did you think of Antonio’s reasoning for letting you go: you make him feel like a kid, but he’s no longer a kid?
I don’t think of him as a kid. I felt like he was running again. I felt like he was running away from his emotions.
What do you think about his final two of Brooke and Miranda?
I love Miranda. I like Brooke. But no. Neither one of them is right for Antonio. His lifestyle is different from what they think. They look at him like fans, or they wonder what he can to for them, in one girl’s case. Antonio isn’t a partier. His kids come first. He needs someone who will completely accept the fact that he’s got an entire family that’s involved in his life. He’s not going to be out dancing or clubbing or drinking. He’s very quiet, and if they don’t like home life and just want the glitz and glamor, they’re going to be disappointed.
Tell me about your history with Antonio.Antonio chased me from the time he was 17. I didn’t give in until he was 20, when he took me to a beach and said, “I’m serious. I want to marry you. It’s all I ever wanted. You’ve known that. I can’t do [General Hospital] without you. I need to know I have love and support at home.” We were in Vegas the next day, and that’s where we got married. He had lied and told me he was 21. I saw him filling out “20″ on the form, and called him out on it. He said, “I knew you wouldn’t date me if you knew I was younger.” And he was right.
And you were married to him for how long?
Two years, two months, too long. We got married in May of ‘92, and we were divorced in July ‘94.
So about 15 years pass, and you’re carrying a torch for him the entire time?I went on with my life. I was dating someone and I had a child during that time. But then I heard that Antonio was single again, and looking for love, and I thought, “Why not me?”
What did you think of Christi’s betrayal?
I was clueless about that till I watched the show. She’d been brutal to me and she came up to me one day and said she wanted to be friends and we should talk. I’m so frickin’ naïve, that I was like, “OK! Yeah!” I think women, as a whole, should have each other’s backs completely. I took her at face value, and was shocked when I saw her intentions weren’t pure. And then I had this devastating injury where I had internal bleeding, and went into hypovolemic shock because I jumped off my horse to help her. And then to watch her come back and say, “Me me me me me,” had me floored. There was no general sympathy from her at all.
Yvonne had even less sympathy. She didn’t even think that you were injured.It was almost funny that she was insisting I wasn’t even hurt. I was amazed that she could be so brutal.
Why does she resent you so much? I know you asked her that question, but do you have any theories?Antonio loves me, and in her head, that’s always a concern. With other women, she can control him, but with me she can’t. He has this underlying, deep love for me, and I think her fear is that she’d lose control of her son if we were to fall in love and get back together again.
Do you hate her?I don’t. I feel sorry for her, and I feel sorry for him. I feel sorry for her that she doesn’t have someone who she feels puts her first and she has to take all that from Antonio. And I feel sorry for him that he has a mother who won’t let go and puts so much pressure on him.
What about the wedding dress?
Well, like you said in your blog, wasn’t everyone else in a wedding dress a few days ago? Why is it such a shock when Tully turns up in one? Antonio even said that he was sorry that he didn’t get to see me in a wedding dress.
As you were sailing off on the Ciao Bella, you were sending Antonio one last hula message, right?
Yes. It was, “Here’s my heart, I leave it with you.”
So where are you with that? Is your heart with him?
I think a piece of my heart is always going to be with Antonio, but Max, my son, takes up the rest of it. I just put on my Facebook: “Life has a way of keeping going, even when you feel like your heart has stopped beating.” Really, I feel like I’m in a good space right now. My life is very full with my son. I cut a little bit of the umbilical cord everyday so that I won’t ever be like Yvonne.
