Kaitlyn Bristowe didn’t hold back while addressing her recent split from ex-fiancé Shawn Booth on the Tuesday, November 20, episode of her “Off the Vine” podcast.
The 33-year-old former Bachelorette got emotional as she began the conversation, referring to their breakup as “the big elephant in the room.”
“I’m going to try and get through this,” Bristowe said, noting she made herself as “comfortable as possible” in hopes it would be easier for her to talk about.
“This was all so much harder than I thought it would be,” the Dew designer continued. “I was getting a lot of messages from people, you know, over the past few months saying, ‘we know it’s done so just tell us.’ But, to be honest, I guess I just wasn’t ready to accept it, until I was, and that is when we announced it. It had to be on our timeline for our relationship, and not what other people expected from us.”
Bristowe went on to note that it’s been a “really hard few months,” adding that she really thought they “would get through it.”
She explained: “We were in a crossroads in our relationship, but to be honest, I thought we would choose the road where we’d end up together. I just never took our commitment or being engaged lightly at all. I had the mindset of doing whatever it took to make it work. And now realizing maybe to a fault.”
As for why things between the pair didn’t work out, Bristowe revealed that she and Booth, 31, realized there were some “important fundamental values that weren’t lining up,” and some things they’d “probably never see eye-to-eye on.”
“We were left with no choice but to be honest with ourselves — and with each other — and we are so lucky for the memories we’ve created and all the beautiful moments that we had,” she added.
The Canada native, however, isn’t giving up on love. “I know there are many bright days ahead,” Bristowe said, as her voice cracked.
“In a weird way, as much as I was dreading releasing that statement — and accepting that it was the end — it has let me close the door on that thought of forever and start envisioning my new future ahead,” she dished. “Which I am excited about and I hope from all of this I can choose to look forward and not in the rearview mirror of what it could have been, and what could have been different.”
The reality star concluded by saying she knows she “will find happiness,” and that she and Booth will “remain friends.”
The former couple — who met and got engaged during season 11 of the reality dating show in 2015 — announced their split earlier this month after three years together.
Booth, for his part, broke his silence on the split in a heartfelt Instagram post less than two weeks after the news of their breakup.
“I just want to thank everyone who has been so supportive of my relationship with Kaitlyn over the years,” the fitness guru wrote on November 12. “You’ve made me feel incredibly special, supported, and very loved. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you. It truly means a lot. And thank you to everyone who has sent their love & support during this painful time. I love you guys.”
