It sounds like an emergency pizza might be in order. Josh Murray and Amanda Stanton both confirmed to Us Weekly last month that they had ended their engagement, and now Murray tells Us exclusively that it hasn’t been easy for him to put the relationship behind him.
Murray, 32, spoke with Us at a Love Bites event at STK Miami on Tuesday, February 14, and said that it’s been “tough” to get back to his life after splitting with Stanton, 26. (The couple got engaged during the Bachelor in Paradise season 3 finale over the summer; Murray returned to Atlanta following the breakup, after having moved to Southern California to be with the esthetician and her two daughters, Kinsley, 4, and Charlie, 3.)
“Definitely an adjustment because Amanda had two kids, and I got attached to them,” the Bachelorette season 10 winner says. “Hardest part of being single now is I miss them — I got attached to the little ones. We had a great time, some amazing times — we had ups and downs, like in any relationship, and unfortunately, it didn’t work out. We learned a lot about each other after the show.”
The former baseball player doesn’t rule out a possible reconciliation for the pair down the road — “I don’t know what the future holds,” he says — but he points out that he and the Bachelor season 20 standout remain in contact. “We definitely stay in touch, and I stay in touch with Charlie,” Murray says. “She’s a sweetheart. I think I may see her when I head to L.A. this week. It’s back and forth just a little bit — I don’t like to end relationships and not be friends with people.”
Murray — who ended his nine-month engagement to Andi Dorfman in January 2015 — doesn’t blame himself solely for the split from Stanton. But he acknowledges his role in their issues: “After two failed engagements, you hear all these things on how things are your fault and what you did wrong, and women especially always take Amanda’s side. [But] I have to take responsibility — it’s both people who were at fault. I will always take responsibility.”
“I know that during the process of the show, we fell in love, and we could see a future together, and even after a little bit with Kins and Charlie, it was very serious,” he continues. “Unfortunately, we just couldn’t work through some certain things.”
Murray says he’s unsure if he would be up for a future appearance on Bachelor in Paradise or any other dating shows, but he’s very focused on finding that special someone. “When I love, I love hard — I love very hard,” the Famously Single alum says. “That was the whole purpose of me going on this show. I was to try to find someone to fall in love with, and I did — unfortunately, it just didn’t work out. It’s very tough considering that I found that [even] with cameras.”
He adds, “The one thing I’m missing in my life is a wife and having a family and kids.”
The Bachelor airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
