JoJo Fletcher and Nick Viall dating rumours: The Bachelorette 2016 opens up about her relationship status

Ahead of the premiere of The Bachelorette 2016, JoJo Fletcher has finally answered rumours about her alleged affair with Chad Rookstool and Nick Viall. The successful real estate developer will soon choose the love of her life from 26 men, who will fight to win her heart in the dating reality show by ABC.

"The tabloid that came out about Chad is completely false," Fletcher told US Weekly. "I had no idea that he had done that until kind of later on. So those were very untrue. And I've decided to completely put that in my past and not think about it again. And the Nick rumours are absolutely not true as well," she added.

The real estate developer was the runners-up of The Bachelor season 20 and was left devastated when Ben Higgins chose Lauren Bushnell as his love. But after the show, she was linked with the 35-year-old reality star who was rejected in the finale by two bachelorettes Andi Dorfman and Kaitlyn Bristowe in their respective seasons.

"I didn't know what to expect coming into this," the 25-year-old Texan told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of her show's premiere. "I would say it was probably one of the greatest experiences of my life, but it was also one of the hardest. There was so many highs, but definitely a lot of low lows. It was a lot more than I think I expected, in every sense you can think of."

The reality star is expecting to select her man from a diverse group of contestants. "We have a great group of men," she told the news outlet, adding, "I think there is a little bit more diversity in my group. To be honest, I can't remember all of the other seasons before me, so I don't know how much diversity was there, but I can definitely say I have a very diverse group of men. They come from very different parts of life, and they all bring a lot to the table."

The Bachelorette 2016 will premiere on 23 May on ABC network.