The sexual-assault survivor and former The Bachelor contestant on finding love, overcoming trauma and starting a family
Sexual assault survivor Harrison James, 26, and cancer survivor Bella Johnston, 31, first connected on Instagram, but sparks really flew when they finally met in person at a Rome Airbnb.
-Harrison: I met Bella in 2024 when she sent me a DM on Instagram. Someone had sent him a link to a front-page newspaper story about my campaign to ban the use of “good character” references in court to reduce sentences for sexual predators. Bella was very supportive of my campaign and the conversations were polite and respectful. My personal story was already all over social media: how I was groomed and sexually abused by my stepmother from the age of 13; how you gave birth to my daughter; that I had to pretend to be my sister instead of my daughter; How my stepmother ran away to the Philippines.
As the weeks went by we shared more of ourselves via DMs – Bella about her cancer [she’d received treatment for paraganglioma – a rare tumour in the neck – in 2014] and mixed feelings about it Licence [in 2022] – but the conversations weren’t romantic, even though I had glanced at her Instagram photos and thought she was really cute. A few months later, he left to travel around Europe without us ever meeting face to face.
One night, Bella FaceTimed me from Greece and we chatted for five hours, until 5 a.m. my time. I was completely fascinated. I asked him “So when will you come back to Australia?” I asked. When he told me he wasn’t coming back but was going to Italy and then London to work, I replied: “Well, in that case I’ll have to fly to Rome to meet you.”
I flew to Italy in September 2024. My first thought when she opened the door to the Airbnb was how amazing she looked. She wore a floral skirt and denim vest, her olive skin glistening in the sun. We went for a late dinner. He later told me that he had booked the room with a sofa bed in case things didn’t go well; We never used it.
‘When Bella opened the door to her Airbnb my first thought was how amazing she looked.’
We spent a magical three weeks traveling around Italy; I’ve never felt such a connection with anyone before. One of the hardest things about childhood sexual abuse is that it deprives you of the belief that you are worth loving; Bella taught me that you are not defined by your experiences. Over a candlelight dinner on Ischia, an island off the coast of Naples, I described the pain of not being able to see my daughter. Bella put her hand on the table and said she would always be there for me. I fell in love with him that night and I think he did too.
I returned to Australia for a few months to continue my campaign [which finally led to legislation being passed in NSW in May this year abolishing “good character” references for convicted sexual offenders; Victoria will soon follow]But we missed each other terribly, so I moved to London to be with Bella.
I’m writing my memories [Transform Your Pain into Purpose; Simon & Schuster] It required me to reconsider some pretty painful events, which sent me into a really dark space and I found myself in a psychiatric ward. Bella was a pillar of support as always and understood that I was traumatized and that it wasn’t a true reflection of me. After we were discharged, we decided to take a break from reality and travel around Europe. Exploring life outside of my advocacy work has truly opened my eyes; I gained a new perspective on life and brought a new conclusion to my book.
We’re opposites in some ways — he’s an outgoing extrovert who likes to entertain, I’m socially anxious and prefer a quiet night in at home — but our core values are the same. We are currently building a life in Melbourne and are due to have a baby in October.
If we have an argument, it usually happens in the car. I know I’m the best driver in the world, but he likes to give unnecessary notes from the passenger seat. Is Bella driving? That’s Larry Leadfoot.
-Bella: Meeting Harri felt like an online fairy tale. Partner of one of my friends Licence He sent me a message on Instagram about his campaign. I was talking about it online after reading about a case where a sex offender’s sports team wrote glowing testimonials for him and I couldn’t believe it was even a thing. So I left a follow and message for Harri. Even though I thought she looked very hot in her photos, she was very professional and our conversations were always polite. I have a thing for gingers.
Later, after recovering from surgery (I have had many surgeries since being diagnosed with cancer 12 years ago), I decided to move abroad. While backpacking in Greece, I spontaneously FaceTimed Harri. We talked for hours; I didn’t realize how late it was when we finished in Australia. I knew then that I had found someone who cared about me as much as I liked him.
Then Harri said he was flying to meet me. My first thought when I opened the door in Rome was how much taller it was than I expected; I thought to myself, “I finally found myself a tall man.” It was a little weird at first, but we relaxed after a few Aperol spritzes at dinner. Since I didn’t want to be impertinent, I arranged a sofa bed in the room, but we never used it.
We traveled all over Italy and told each other we loved each other over dinner overlooking the sea in Ischia. Days later we got tattoos in Italian: mine, written on my hand Fortunata in love [Lucky in love] And on Harri’s wrist it says Fortunato al gioco [Lucky at the game].
‘We traveled all over Italy and told each other we loved each other over dinner overlooking the sea in Ischia.’
A few months after they started living together in London, while he was writing his book, this began to take a toll on him. He started feeling dizzy and when I told him to go to the doctor, he ended up in the hospital. When he was discharged, we walked home for over an hour and talked about what needed to change. It was a huge reconnection moment for us.
Harri also gave me great support. I, too, have had experiences with trauma and mental health issues. Pregnancy hasn’t been easy for me, but Harri now does all the dishes, all the cooking, and all the laundry. He’s been an incredible partner.
For all the seriousness of his job, what many people don’t see about Harri is that he is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met; He does an incredible impression of Anthony Albanese. The funny thing is, we both think the other is a crazy driver. I a safe driver; he front foot!
If you or someone you know needs support, call National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Domestic Violence Counseling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
