The Bachelor runner-up who walked away from the show over her purity convictions just revealed the secret battle she was fighting the entire time.
Madison Prewett became famous in 2020 for refusing to compromise her virginity on national television.
She's now confessing she spent years enslaved to pornography and masturbation – and her story exposes what's really destroying young Christian women in America.
Bachelor Star's Pornography Addiction Confession Exposes Christian Women's Secret Battle
Prewett sat down with Candace Cameron Bure this week and finally told the truth about what she'd been hiding since age 13.
A friend introduced her to pornography in middle school.
Within weeks, she was hooked – searching for explicit content online and masturbating regularly.
She maintained her public commitment to purity while privately battling demons she couldn't shake.
The 29-year-old was the church youth group leader, straight-A student, and the girl who took a stand for biblical values on national television – all while silently fighting an addiction she believed would disqualify her from everything.
Shame kept her silent for over a decade.
Here's what she told Bure on Tuesday's podcast episode.
75% Of Christian Men And 40% Of Christian Women Admit Pornography Use
Prewett's confession reveals she's not alone.
Christian experts who work with women fighting pornography addiction say what Prewett experienced is exploding among young Christian women at epidemic levels.
Jessica Harris, who runs the ministry Beggar's Daughter, says the attitude among Generation Z Christian girls is shocking.
A 12-year-old girl at a church where Harris spoke said this: "What's the big deal? Every girl watches pornography."
The statistics reveal the crisis.
Studies show 50% of millennial Christian women struggle with pornography.
But that number jumps to 75-100% for Generation Z.
The internet became common in the mid-1990s, and smartphones arrived in 2007.
An entire generation of Christian girls grew up with pornography in their pockets – and the church stayed silent.
Prewett's Assemblies of God upbringing repeatedly warned against sex before marriage but left a question mark around everything else.
The church never addressed pornography or masturbation as struggles women faced.
So when the addiction took hold, Prewett believed something was fundamentally wrong with her.
Culture told her pornography was exclusively a male problem.
When women struggle, they assume they're the only ones – and shame keeps them silent.
Recent Barna research confirms the scope: 75% of Christian men and 40% of Christian women report consuming pornography at least occasionally.
That's an 11-point rise for men and a 25-point rise for women over eight years.
Candace Cameron Bure Podcast Reveals Why Confession Breaks Pornography Addiction
Prewett finally confessed her addiction in college.
The moment she told a friend the truth, everything changed.
She's been free from pornography and masturbation for approximately 10 years now.
The confession brought immediate relief.
Psychology experts who treat pornography addiction explain exactly why confession works.
Shame functions as an isolator.
It drives people into darkness and secrecy, creating the exact conditions that feed addiction.
Pornography thrives on secrecy – but its grip loosens when the struggle is brought into the light.
Women experience double the shame men do when fighting pornography addiction because they're told it's not their problem.
Certified sex addiction therapists identify shame as the strongest root of addiction, especially for Christians.
They promise God they'll never do it again, fail, and sink deeper into self-loathing with each cycle.
The shame numbs them to God's love and reduces their faith to head knowledge rather than lived experience.
Breaking free requires exactly what Prewett finally did – confession to a trusted believer who can provide accountability and prayer.
Prewett encourages women to confess immediately rather than hiding struggles.
Finally, Someone's Telling The Truth
Prewett rose to fame as Peter Weber's runner-up on The Bachelor in 2020 before walking away from the show over her convictions.
She married Grant Troutt, a pastor and son of billionaire Kenny Troutt, in July 2022.
They welcomed daughter Hosanna in January 2025.
She's written three books about faith and purity, with another releasing in September specifically addressing sexual sin and overcoming shame.
She first revealed this addiction in June 2025 on her Stay True podcast, and she's continuing to speak openly about it because she knows how many women are fighting the same battle in silence.
Here's what makes Prewett's confession so important.
For decades, the church treated pornography as a men's issue.
Women who struggled believed they were alone, defective, beyond help.
That silence gave Satan exactly what he needed to keep them enslaved.
Prewett's courage to speak publicly about what she battled privately is exactly what Christian women need to hear.
The addiction doesn't disqualify you from God's love.
The shame doesn't mean you're beyond redemption.
Confession brings freedom that hiding never will.
This is what happens when believers finally break the silence Satan uses to destroy lives – truth sets people free.
Sources:
- Janelle Ash, "'Bachelor' star Madison Prewett says 'secret sexual sin' battle led to shame," Fox News, February 10, 2026.
- "'Bachelor' Alum Madi Prewett Recalls Emotional Weight Of Living A 'Double Life,'" Yahoo Entertainment, February 10, 2026.
- Jessica Harris, "How Christian Women can Overcome Porn Addiction and Sexual Shame," Dr. Michelle Bengtson, May 11, 2023.
- "Pornography Use Among Christians Reaches Crisis Level," Liberty Counsel, December 17, 2024.
