Bachelorette star Jillian Harris and fiance Ed Swiderski stopped by her hometown of Peace River on Friday night to judge a local singing competition as part of the Alberta Summer Games.
But instead of camera flashes and fans swarming them for autographs, the newly engaged couple who found love on the small screen spent the weekend riding ATVs, barbecuing and hanging out with Harris’s family.
“We have been looking forward to this for months now,” said Harris on the phone from Peace River. “Ed and I are both small-town people and just relish sitting around a campfire, ATVing, and cruising down the highway.”
When Harris, 30, was invited to sit on the judging panel to help crown the winner of the Peace River Idol singing competition, she jumped at the chance.
The winner received a $1,000 grand prize and will sing for the 3,000 athletes, coaches and officials and thousands more spectators during games week July 19 to 25.
“The rolling hills are beautiful, and it’s great to see my friends and family,” Harris said. “For me to show Ed my roots is something – one of the most incredible experiences I’ve had this year.”
Swiderski, also 30, said the northern Alberta community reminded him of the small Michigan town he grew up in.
“It’s awesome. Small town feel, but everybody is very nice and you bump into people and know them through a friend of a friend or family member.”
Since Harris was rejected by Season 13 Bachelor star Jason Mesnick in the winter of 2009, before finding love with Swiderski last July on the fifth season of the Bachelorette, the pair said life has been markedly different.
For one, they get noticed when they go out, which surprises Harris that “people care who we are.”
Fame has been a help and a hindrance to their careers – Harris’s as a designer and Swiderski’s in technology sales – forcing them to switch gears.
Now, Harris is readying for a role as one of Extreme Makeover Home Edition’s newest members while Swiderski is preparing to launch his own business helping less-fortunate children discover technology.
When they’re not on the job or throwing themselves into charity work, the two spend downtime at their Chicago home “sitting under the covers and watching TV,” Harris said.
There’s also a wedding in the works – though no date or plans have been set in stone. Fans will just have to wait to see if they get a glimpse into the couple’s big date either on TV or in magazines.
“The party isn’t the priority,” Harris said. “It’s having a healthy, successful relationship.”
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