Although Michael is a winner when it comes to losing weight, he isn’t so lucky in love —and refused to risk his friendship with Ashley in case a love match didn’t work out!
Michael Ventrella is officially the winner of this season’s Biggest Loser: Couples, dropping from 526 to 262 lbs. in just six months, but he’s still not having much luck in the love department!
During a May 26 conference call following his May 25 win, the 31-year-old Chicago-based deejay confided that he and fellow contestant Ashley Johnston were very nearly a couple! “That’s our relationship,” he confided to HollywoodLife.com exclusively. “We flirt and joke around and always laugh when people bring up the relationship question. We talked about it, but between us both, we decided it would ruin what we have.”
He continued of 28-year-old Ashley (who came in second place on NBC’s weight loss show by dropping 183 lbs.), “There is obviously an attraction there. The main reason I was so connected with her at first was she reminded me of a friend I lost this past year. Janine was her name and she was my high school sweetheart. When I met Ashley, she shared the same characteristics as Janine. [Ashley] is a vibrant young woman who had the mind, soul and spirit that reminded me so much of Janine. So she really filled a void that I was missing.”
But Michael sensibly knew that to love someone else, he had to start loving himself first. “I have to start loving myself before I can love another. I’m still on my journey,” he told us. “So to have a great friend in Ashley really makes things easier. We encourage each other a lot.”
Sounds like love still might be in the air for these two — so watch this space! Because as soon as Michael starts really loving Michael, we predict that his love for Ashley is going to immediately follow!
— Laura Schreffler