It’s hard to believe that a man who has gorgeous women throwing themselves at him on national television ever had trouble finding a date. But that’s exactly how it was for heartthrob pilot Jake Pavelka, the current star of ABC’s hit series The Bachelor. During a romantic one-on-one date with contestant Gia Allemand at a vineyard, Jake sheepishly admitted that his nickname in high school was “Mr. Dateless.”

He wasn’t exaggerating. “I was just shy around girls at that age,” Jake tells Life & Style. “I tended to be bullied in the seventh, eighth and ninth grades.” And while he’s a catch now, there’s one person who wasn’t surprised to hear that Jake had a tough time with the ladies when he was younger. “The time that I spent with Jake, I could see that he was probably very shy in high school,” recently eliminated contestant Ella Nolan tells Life & Style.

But that’s not stopping Jake from trying to find love on TV’s most popular reality dating show. “I’m not looking for the most beautiful woman out there,” he told Life & Style. “But I’m looking for a heart of gold — and character, lots of character.”

For more exclusive high school photos of Jake, pick up the latest issue of Life & Style, on newsstands now!

Photo Source: Life & Style Magazine