JILLIAN Harris, second-runner up for the attention of “Bachelor” Jason Mesnick, is halfway through filming her own search for love as the next “Bachelorette.”
And the Canadian beauty isn’t taking the competition lightly.
Filming for “The Bachelorette” began just four weeks after the shocking “After the Final Rose” episode, during which single-dad Jason Mesnick brutally dumped winner Melissa Rycroft for runner-up Molly Malaney.
“It was a first, what happened with Jason, and I think it will make her more aware,” Harris’ mother, Peggy, told The Post from her home in Alberta. “What she learned was to be really careful when choosing. It will put more pressure on her.”
Despite a steamy hot tub scene and sleepover in the fantasy suite, Harris, 29, failed to impress Mesnick, and she was sent packing right before the big finale.
In light of Mesnick’s change of heart, Harris’ relatives were reconciled in the fact that the couple — who seemed “perfect for each other” last year — were not meant to be.
“We were relieved because that could have potentially been Jillian getting dumped,” a relative said. “We wondered, ‘Is this for real? Could he change his mind like that?’ ”
This time around, Harris will be in control as she weeds through 25 potential husbands on the new “Bachelorette,” set to premiere next month.
Harris, a restaurant interior designer, quickly became a fan favorite for her adventurous, independent attitude and friends said she “bounced back quickly” after being told by Mesnick that she wasn’t the one.