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NEW YORK (AP) ABC's newest "Bachelorette," Desiree Hartsock, says it's not hard to keep the details of her experience on the show a secret from her friends.

"Ironically, I'm kind of a private person anyway, so my friends know not to ask," she said in a recent interview.

Hartsock has some experience with the matter, although her last reality TV romance ended in heartbreak.

The 27-year-old competed for the affection of Sean Lowe on the last season of "The Bachelor." She was sent home after a disastrous date where he met her family.

"I think after all the questions they asked last season, they got an idea that I can't talk about it and it's best that they don't ask. They just let me be and I'm excited to talk about it once it's all over," she said of the new season.

Whether the bridal designer is excited to share some good news, Hartsock is also keeping that close to the vest.

"I can't give away if I'm happy or anything but this season I think is a little different because there are a lot of twists and turns. Everybody's gonna have to wait and see what happens," she said.

Hartsock marvels at how her life has changed in a short amount of time.

"It just blows my mind, to be honest," she laughed. "I wasn't even expecting to be on 'The Bachelor.' It was more of a 'hey, if this works out, it works out.'"

It didn't work out with Lowe, who's engaged to Catherine Giudici, his final pick on "The Bachelor." But Hartsock won over viewers with her girl-next-door looks, attitude and raw vulnerability when Lowe sent her home after meeting her family.

Although it seemed at first that her older brother was onboard with the relationship, he told Lowe in a one-on-one chat that he didn't think he was right for his sister.

Hartsock says there are no hard feelings over her brother's skepticism and stresses it was "very Sean specific."

"He's my brother! He trusts me and he supports me," she said.

The drama this time around comes from 25 male contestants. Hartsock says they have "a lot of strong personalities" and she's looking forward to seeing what led up to their conflicts when she wasn't around.

"The Bachelorette," hosted by Chris Harrison, premieres Monday on ABC at 8 p.m. EDT.

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Online:

http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelorette

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Alicia Rancilio covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow her online at http://www.twitter.com/aliciar