Another Big Brother couple bites the dust. Two years after meeting on season 20 of the CBS reality game show, Fessy Shafaat and Haleigh Broucher have broken up.
“To all of the fans, It is with a heavy heart that Fes and I have made the decision to split ways and focus on ourselves,” the Texas A&M University graduate, 23, wrote in a statement via Twitter on Tuesday, July 14. “This was not an easy decision, and we have truly tried every possible thing we could to continue in this relationship.”
Broucher wrote that she and the Challenge star, 28, “are so grateful for the memories, opportunities, and the great times that we have to cherish, and will always hold a place in our hearts for the other.”
The Texas native noted that the pair decided to go their separate ways because their lives are “moving in different directions” and they knew “it was better for both of our mental healths to call it quits.” They also had to deal with dating long-distance as well as their “different backgrounds” and the “constant pressures online.”
Broucher ended her statement by thanking “all of the Fayleigh fans” who have supported her and Shafaat over the past two years.
“You all hold a special place in our hearts as well,” she wrote. “We are still so grateful and in love with you guys, and I hope y’all can learn to love us separately. We hope that you can respect our privacy and healing at this time.”
The Florida native — who is among the competitors on the Wednesday, July 15, season finale of MTV’s The Challenge: Total Madness — has yet to publicly address the split.
Shafaat and Broucher met in June 2018 when they entered the Big Brother house. They were members of the FOUTTE (Five of Us Till the End) alliance, which was formed during the first week of the competition, and eventually embarked on a showmance that carried into the real world. After the show, they traveled the world together, visiting places including Hawaii, Canada and Rome. Shafaat also made frequent appearances on Broucher’s YouTube channel throughout their romance.
The news of their breakup comes weeks after two Big Brother season 21 couples called it quits: Kathryn Dunn and Nick Maccarone in April and Jackson Michie and Holly Allen in June.
