'The Bachelorette' Emily Maynard Blasted by Friends, Family: Obsessed With Fame?
Emily Maynard has reportedly become so consumed with fame that she is willing to exploit "herself and her family," according to people who the reality TV star knows in her native North Carolina.
The family of Ricky Hendrick, the late NASCAR stock car driver who fathered Maynard's 8-year-old daughter Josephine, is also among a growing number of critics who do not approve of Maynard's lifestyle choices, according to Radar Online.
"Emily has let her fame go to her head," an insider part of the NASCAR community- they previously embraced Maynard before her fame- told RadarOnline.com.
"She is exploiting herself and her family for fame," the source explained, referring to Hendrick, who passed away in 2004. "She was Ricky's girlfriend, but I was not aware of a proposal or an engagement. It seems like the rest of America is buying into her Hollywood story."
While Maynard is renowned for her sweet southern persona, critics say that the fame has altered her personality and that she is not the same person. Hendrick's family now reportedly wants nothing to do with the single mother.
"She is just trying to be famous and by making the choice to go on that show she isn't respecting Ricky or his family," the source said.
"None of Ricky's family or friends have been on the show. All of his friends are famous race car drivers and the producers wanted Emily to have some of his friends on the show but they refused because they didn't want to associate with her," the source explained, adding "Nobody from Ricky's life has come forward. The tight-knit folks in the NASCAR don't want to have anything to do with Emily. They've watched her lifestyle choices and they don't approve."
Maynard, 26, rose to stardom after winning season 15 of the hit ABC reality dating show "The Bachelor."
Despite getting engaged to the bachelor himself, Brad Womack, the pair eventually broke it off which landed Maynard a leading role in the spin-off reality TV show "The Bachelorette."