The Bachelor’s Abbie Chatfield is on a mission to reduce the shame and stigma surrounding sexuality.
After detailing her personal experience with sexually transmitted infections on her podcast, the reality star has now openly discussed the topic on breakfast radio.
The 24-year-old spoke candidly about being treated for chlamydia during an interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Tuesday.
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‘I get regularly tested’: The Bachelor runner-up Abbie Chatfield, 24, has revealed which STI she’s been treated for in the past
An STI is an infection passed from one person to another through sexual contact.
Examples of STIs include chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV), syphilis and HIV.
About 16 per cent of Australians report having a sexually transmitted infection in their lifetime, while over 23,000 Australians currently live with HIV, according to the Australian Government Department of Health.
‘I think there’s a lot of shame about STIs in general, I just want to break down the stigma,’ Abbie told hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson.
Jackie was impressed by Abbie’s candour, and asked her to specify which STIs has had been diagnosed with in the past.
‘Chlamydia,’ Abbie responded, before clarifying she had caught it from an unfaithful ex-boyfriend.
‘I just want to break down the stigma’: With the reality TV star being so forthcoming with personal details, Abbie chose to reveal she once had chlamydia
‘I didn’t have any symptoms’: Abbie said it was important for sexually active people to get checked and to talk about their sexual history openly
‘[Chlamydia] is the most common STI in Australia and cases are rising because of lack of education and stigma,’ she explained.
In most Australian states, if you have certain STIs, you are legally obliged to inform your sexual partner/s so they can get tested and treated.
Abbie continued: ‘I get tested regularly, because you can get chlamydia even when using a condom… or herpes through skin to skin contact, I haven’t had that [herpes] though.’
Speaking of her own experience of having chlamydia, Abbie said she had not experienced any symptoms of the infection.
‘I have had STIs in the past’: Abbie shared intimate details about her sexual history in an episode of her It’s A Lot podcast this month
‘But it does cause infertility in women [so] it’s important to get checked and to talk about it,’ she added.
Abbie, who has the word ‘feminist’ tattooed on her arm, recently said she had lost count of her number of sexual partners.
‘I used to have a list of people that I’d slept with. When I stopped counting it was like 50,’ she said on her podcast, It’s A Lot.
Public dumping: Abbie was left heartbroken when Matt Agnew (pictured) broke up with her during the season finale of The Bachelor last year
She had been left heartbroken when astrophysicist Matt Agnew broke up with her during the season finale of The Bachelor last year.
Speaking to Punkee in December, Abbie admitted she ‘went on a d**k spree’ after being dumped on the show.
She apparently slept with people who ‘wouldn’t know her’ from television and used a fake name to avoid spoiling the outcome.
Free at last! Speaking to Punkee in December, Abbie admitted she went ‘went on a d**k spree’ shortly after she was dumped