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Anna Heinrich found fame when she stole the heart of Tim Robards in the first season of TV’s The Bachelor Australia in 2013. Fast forward three years and the couple are still going strong and have since become one of Australia’s most recognised couples. When Heinrich, 29, isn’t attending A-list events she works part-time as a criminal lawyer and is the blogger behind Love Always Anna. She talked to me about how The Bachelor has changed her life, the pressures on her relationship and how she copes with media attention.

What is a day in your life? 

It really depends on the day… I’m still working as a [criminal] lawyer. I’m in there every week, and my boss has been so good to me for the past three or four years. I like keeping my foot in that door. I’ve [also] been working with Nike for about almost eight months now. When I first started, I did their Training Club Tour, a big all-women event … I’m also working with Pandora and Oral B and I’m busy working on my blog.

You were the first girl to win The Bachelor Australia. How has that impacted your life?

I don’t think I ever knew how it would change my life… [Tim] is my first boyfriend and it has almost been three years…I’m also doing a lot of media-related things that I never thought I would ever do.

What do you love most about Tim? 

I actually love everything about him. I know it sounds so cliche, but I love his determination He is very open with everything … He is very good looking, too!

Should we expect a marriage proposal anytime soon? 

I’m definitely not engaged at the moment [laughs] but I think it will come. There has been that pressure ever since we got together.

Does being in the media spotlight put pressure on your relationship?

It does, but I’m not going to let it affect our relationship. We know it’s always going to be there, but I think what’s really good about us is we haven’t just gotten married for everybody else. We’re doing it in our own time and when it happens, it’s as real as anyone else’s marriage.

Is there pressure to get married? 

We know it’s all there and we know everyone is constantly watching and waiting, but I think that’s what I love about him so much, that he hasn’t sort of succumbed to the whole pressure. For us, it’s about getting to know each other and that’s exactly what we’re doing, we love each other’s company and it’s not so much about, “Let’s get married straight away to please other people”.

Is it strange to have the public know your intimate details of your love life? 

I don’t tell everybody everything, but we do feel somewhat of responsibility to share as much as we can with people because they’ve grown with us from the beginning.

After the show and when you officially began dating, there was speculation of the authenticity of your relationship. Have those rumours been put to rest now?

Yes, there are rumours about us probably every couple of weeks – either that we’ve broken up or there is some problem. But whenever it is, it’s always other people; I think they just find that an interesting story.

The Bachelor is currently airing its fourth season. Who do you think will win?

It’s too hard to call at this stage as there are so many amazing women still left in the house. I’ll leave this one up to Richie [Strahan]!

What would be your advice to someone going into the show?

Be prepared, and I think knowing that it’s not always what you expect. It’s very different from what people see on TV … You do an hour or two-hour interview and they may not even use that interview, or if they do, it’s basically one line. So be prepared, and go in it for the right reasons. I think being the first [season], we didn’t know what to expect. I was doing law at the time [and] thinking it was going to be more of a hindrance … Go in to it because you want to [fall in love with] someone and hope that you do in the end.

Tell me about your blog.

My blog is called Love Always Anna. Initially I wanted it to be a lifestyle blog [but] I’m now focusing more on fashion and beauty.

What do you love about having a blog?

It has been a great way for me to share more positive and personal insights into my life. I was surprised how quickly it connected with my readers and I love receiving their comments about my recipes, travels and tips. I’ve started focusing more on fashion and styling to make it a place where readers can come to for inspiration. It is a case of “watch this space”, I guess!

What is your role within your law firm?

I’m pretty much everything. I’m a lawyer, I’m the bookkeeper, I’m admin. I do it all when I’m in there. I do go into court in certain trials.

Do people recognise you from The Bachelor during court trials? 

There has been [an] occasion where I was in court and I turned around and this woman was being like “I love you” to me and I didn’t know if it was me or who she was looking at. I kept turning around and then I was like, “me?” and she is like, “I love you”. I was like, “This is the most awkward situation I’ve had in the court.” I do my best to kind of keep both separate – my legal career and my media career. There is no way they’re not going to overlap, but I try and keep it as separate. So I’ve got to make sure I uphold a good image and that doesn’t jeopardise my legal career because I’m still doing it.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

I hope that I’m still doing what I’m doing. I love having this balance of still doing law and also my media career.

What do you do in your spare time, when you’re not working? 

We love to travel, if we can go away for a weekend, whether it is within Australia or somewhere international. We love to even go to Bali for like three days. We’re both into sports. So we’ll be out training … playing tennis with the family. I’ll be hanging with my family a lot. Go over to my mum’s house for “Jude’s food”; get everyone over for dinner.

BITESIZE

WE WENT TO Wild Basket, Neutral Bay 

WE DRANK Peppermint tea and a cappuccino.

ANNA WORE Rebecca Vallance dress a Stanzee leather jacket with Pandora jewellery.

Photography: Kate Geraghty