'Bachelor' star Colton Underwood talks 'first love' and 'worst heartbreak': gymnast Aly Raisman

Colton Underwood is on a quest to find love on "The Bachelor," but his days of dating in the spotlight began before joining the franchise.

The 26-year-old former NFL player recalled dating gymnast Aly Raisman, who he called his "first love" and "worst heartbreak."

"While it was confusing and it was hard in the beginning, it also taught me a lot about myself – what I need, what I want, what I can do better in a relationship," he said on the "LadyGang" podcast. "It was a big step for me. It was really tough."

The couple dated from late 2016 through the summer of 2017, after Underwood asked Raisman out in a video.

"If you're ever here in San Jose and want to go on a double date with me and (NFL player) Andrew (East) and (his wife, gymnast) Shawn (Johnson), let me know," Underwood said at the time.

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Underwood also touched on the process of filming "The Bachelor" and shared the struggles of having to remember 30 names on the first day of shooting and worrying about sending the wrong person home after a short conversation.

"Everyone's like, 'oh, that first night is so easy,' " he began. "I'm like, 'it's not,' because you have a short time to get to know somebody and then you're making a decision. What if, that first night, you're sending somebody home who was just really nervous or really shy?"

A major story line so far this season focuses on the fact that Underwood is a virgin, though he said the "Bachelor" producers didn't know that during the casting process.

"I casually dropped it in a conversation and then obviously, it got people talking," he said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Bachelor' star Colton Underwood talks 'first love' and 'worst heartbreak': gymnast Aly Raisman