Paradise lost. Bachelor in Paradise stars Lace Morris and Grant Kemp have split. The pair opened up about their broken engagement in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight. Find out more in the video above, and detailed below.
Morris, 25, and Kemp, 28, got engaged during the season 3 finale of the ABC series, which aired in September. The real estate agent previously appeared on Ben Higgins‘ season 20 of The Bachelor, while Kemp tried to find love with JoJo Fletcher on season 12 of The Bachelorette.
“It really was mutual. We both have our issues we need to work on, and we can’t really give each other what we need at this time. It’s just not the right timing. We have so much love for each other, and it’s weird because the chemistry is there, and I’m thinking, ‘Why can’t we make this work?’ But it’s just not possible right now,” Morris explained to ET.
“For a month, we were kind of starting to bicker, and it was a thing of, something’s got to give,” she added. “It was a cycle we couldn’t break. … I think he’s an amazing man. I’m super sad that it ended, but I know it’s for the best right now.”
Morris moved out of the pair’s San Francisco home and went back to Denver, Colorado, just days ago. They most recently appeared on Higgins and Lauren Bushnell‘s Freeform series, Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After.
“She’s a great person. There were things we were trying to work on that we expected to get better with time, and unfortunately it kind of went the opposite way,” Kemp told ET. “When you’re in a regular relationship there’s already challenges you face. We did everything backwards. … I don’t regret going on the show [though]. It kind of fast-forwarded our whole situation. We figured everything out now that it takes most people a couple years to figure out.”
Morris and the firefighter had their fair share of drama during their BIP stint. There were tears, fights and, at one point, Kemp seemed unsure if he wanted to propose. Another memorable moment was when they both got “Grace” — a combination of their names — tattooed on their hands.
Although the two are taking a step back, they still have hope that they’ll find their way back to each other. “I think the odds are definitely against us. But I know the person that she is. That’s the person I wanted to marry,” Kemp said.
Morris added: “I could only pray or hope that there is a future with us. I see one, but I just don’t know when.”
Watch Morris and Kemp’s proposal in the video above.
