He went into hiding after being branded ‘Australia’s most hated man’ for dumping Sam Frost following The Bachelor 2014 finale.
But despite being on the celebrity ‘missing persons list’ for several months, it appears that Blake Garvey is, indeed, alive and well.
The reality TV ‘love rat’ was pictured at Perth’s Cottesloe Hotel last Saturday, getting rather flirty with a glamorous blonde.
He’s alive! Bachelor love rat Blake Garvey emerges after being in hiding in months as he gets flirty with a Louise Pillidge lookalike
The topless waiter-turned-real estate agent appeared in high spirits as he shared a friendly conversation with two other guests.
Blake dressed casually for the occasion in a white polo shirt, laughing animatedly as he got flirty with a mystery woman.
His new friend looked remarkably similar to his ex Louise Pillidge, who Blake dated after unceremoniously dumping Sam.
In high spirits: Blake looked casual in a white polo shirt, laughing animatedly as he got flirty with a mystery woman
He’s got a type! The stunning blonde bore a striking resemblance to his ex Louise Pillidge, who he famously dated after unceremoniously dumping Sam
In 2014, Blake earned his reputation as a ‘love rat’ after breaking up with Sam just weeks after proposing in The Bachelor finale.
The Perth auctioneer presented her with a $58,000 engagement ring, which Sam later sold (at auction, no less) for $31,720.
She was later announced as Australia’s first Bachelorette and, last year, parlayed her reality TV career into a dramatic role in Home And Away.
Reality TV star: Blake rose to fame on the 2014 season of The Bachelor
Controversial: In 2014, Blake was dubbed a love rat for dropping fiance Sam just weeks after proposing to her with a $58,000 sparkler
Following his split with Sam, Blake began a relationship with third-place contestant Louise Pillidge.
However, rumours circulated at the time that he had also tried to hook up with the runner-up Lisa Hyde.
Blake attempted to revive his TV career with a stint on Celebrity Apprentice in 2015 – but he was voted out after just two episodes .
Adding insult to injury, Blake’s short-lived turn on The Apprentice coincided with Sam’s appearance on ratings smash The Bachelorette.
But his run of bad luck continued, as Blake split with Louise in April 2016 after 18 months of dating.
The former couple announced their separation in New Idea and raised eyebrows with a cringeworthy ‘breakup photo shoot’.
Dubbed a love rat: Blake broke up with Sam despite proposing to her on national television
Shock pairing: Blake began a relationship with Brisbane beauty Louise, who had placed third in the competition
Inside the magazine, Blake blamed their breakup on public opinion surrounding their coupling.
‘We’ve both tried so hard to make it work, but the negativity that has surrounded us has changed us as individuals,’ he said.
‘We felt like we were walking on eggshells around each other, always trying to say the right thing. It was suffocating.’
After the split Blake appears to have tried to distance himself from his Bachelor persona, deleting his public social media accounts.
Attempted a comeback: He attempted to revive his reality TV career with a stint on Celebrity Apprentice in 2015
Dumped: Blake was evicted from the show just two episodes in, preceded only by Gabi Grecko
Parted ways: In April 2016 Blake split from Louise after 18 months together and three months of relationship counselling
He re-emerged online with an LJ Hooker real estate agent profile which made no reference to his reality TV past.
Blake appears to have since left the agency and started his own company Elite Auctions in early 2017, however, no trace of the real estate company can be found online.
‘He has put the message out there that he doesn’t want to be contacted,’ a source close to Blake told Fairfax Media last July.
Meanwhile, Sam revealed in August she hadn’t heard from Blake, telling Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa he was ‘on the missing persons list’.
‘The negativity that has surrounded us has changed us as individuals’: Blake blamed their breakup on public opinion surrounding their coupling
‘He has put the message out there that he doesn’t want to be contacted’: Blake appears to have since left the agency and started his own company Elite Auctions in early 2017. Pictured in 2014
‘He’s like disappeared from the face of the planet’: Sam revealed in August she hadn’t heard from Blake
‘He’s like disappeared from the face of the planet,’ she told the hosts, adding: ‘Well after he broke up with Louise, he was like, “that’s it, I’m out”.’
The Home and Away star appears to have had the last laugh over the failed relationship, dressing up as her ‘nightmare’ last Halloween.
Seen holding a rose on Instagram and sporting an outfit similar to her series promo snap, she wrote: ‘reliving my nightmare… getting engaged for 12.3 seconds on national TV.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Blake for comment.
Ouch! The Home and Away star appears to have had the last laugh over the failed relationship, dressing up as her ‘nightmare’ last Halloween