Courtney Dober didn’t hold back when it came to explaining where his relationship with ex-girlfriend Lily McManus stands today, just months since the pair split in August.
The Bachelor Winter Games alum, 32, appeared on Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti’s “Almost Famous” podcast on November 5, when he was asked where his and McManus’ relationship stands today. Admitting that their romance — which began while the pair were filming the ABC reality show — was impacted by pressure from fame and fans, he said, “I think it forced us to look into the future. My visa, her visa, her age and my age and what we were hoping and planning for the future, and we sort of came to this mutual agreement that it was probably best if we do break up, which we did.”
“Since then, I don’t know. Since the expectations of a relationship has been completely and utterly removed and the pressure from the outside world has completely dissipated, it’s like, there’s no pressure and now we find ourselves in this situation where we are very good friends. We hang out probably more than we did when we were actually in a romantic relationship,” he told the Bachelor alums. “We get along, I don’t know what it is, it’s just this element of expectation has been completely removed and it’s like well, you’re not my boyfriend, you’re not my girlfriend.”
“We’re both leading very separate lives and we’re not looking into the future because we’re not in a relationship. So we’re just living in the present moment and we’re just enjoying each other’s company far more than I suppose I think we were previously, so it’s a strange dynamic,” Dober continued. “There have been moments of romance, I’m not gonna lie.”
When pressed by Higgins to elaborate, the Australian native deadpanned, “We slept together since the breakup.”
Despite their new-and-improved situation, Dober admitted that their relationship is tentative, based on the fact that her visa expires in December and his has been renewed for another three years. He also admitted that he wants kids in the next four to five years — which may be an issue for his 21-year-old ex. Regardless, he says, “We are very, very, very good friends.”
McManus touched on that sentiment this month while speaking with Us Weekly. “We are still best friends. After all, we moved to this country together,” the lifestyle blogger said. “Just because our timing as romantic partners wasn’t right, that doesn’t mean we have to lose that friendship.”
