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Ben Higgins Wanted Ex Lauren Bushnell to Be ‘Fulfilled and Happy’ With Chris Lane Before Engagement

Ben Higgins has yet to publicly react to Lauren Bushnell’s engagement to Chris Lane, but he has spoken candidly about his ex-fiancée’s relationship with the country singer in the past.

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“When she was dating Devin [Antin], I remember that feeling — like the Band-Aid getting ripped off,” the former Bachelor, 30, told Entertainment Tonight in November 2018. “This time, and I mean this, I really want Lauren to be fulfilled and happy, whether it’s with Chris or not.”

Higgins and Bushnell, 29, got engaged during season 20 of the ABC dating series in 2016. After the twosome called it quits in May 2017, she reconnected with Antin, whom she met on a dating app before she appeared on the reality series.

Ben Higgins Wants Ex Lauren Bushnell Happy With Chris Lane
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images; James Devaney/Getty Images

Us Weekly broke the news in September 2018 that Bushnell and Antin split, three months before she was linked to Lane. The “I Don’t Know About You” crooner popped the question after less than a year of dating on Sunday, June 16.

“I can’t stop smiling 😭 I feel so incredibly blessed that every misstep, mistake and heartache has led me to you. I couldn’t be happier to call you mine, forever,” Bushnell gushed on Instagram after the proposal. “The journey was well worth it. Thank you Christopher Eric Lane for softening my heart and making it whole. Never going to stop telling you how much I love you and I will hold onto you forever and ever! Lauren Lane has a nice ring to it 💍.”

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According to Higgins, the twosome were friends before Bushnell and Lane had a romantic connection.

“I know they were friends when we were dating, and I know she always admired him and thought he was a good dude,” Higgins told ET, noting that he’s never met the country singer. “I still care a ton about Lauren. I admire Lauren, she was a huge part of my life and we spent a ton of our lives together. What we have will always be something I remember.”

”When it comes to her and her future relationships, I hope they’re healthy and good and I hope they’re bringing her joy,” he continued. “It’s a weird thing when you date somebody, you care about them and then you hear they’re dating somebody else. I just sit back and hope it’s good.”

Related: Lauren Bushnell and Chris Lane’s St. Barths Vacation Photos

The “Almost Famous” podcast host, for his part, moved on from Bushnell with Jessica Clarke, confirming their relationship in February.

Earlier this month, Higgins told Us that he and Clarke have “timelines” set for the future of their relationship.

“We still do long distance and we are going to talk about next steps in August,” he explained on June 5. “It allowed us the freedom to not put the pressure on the situation, and so in August, we’re gonna talk about, ‘Hey, what’s the next move even?’ Or ‘Hey, how do we make this thing a little more close to each other? How do we continue to move this forward in the right direction?’ But we’re waiting until August to not put pressure on who we are as a couple.”

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