A moment of reflection. Krystal Nielson opened up about why her split from husband Chris Randone is what’s best for the former couple moving forward.
In a new Instagram update, Nielson, 32, shared an old photo of Randone, 32, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead as they held hands. She noted in the post’s caption how their separation “isn’t conventional,” while stating that the duo “come from a place of love and compassion” as they go their separate ways.
“Thank you to everyone for your support as Chris and I navigate this new chapter. We FaceTimed last night and were talking about how surreal the past couple years have been and how LUCKY we are to have found one another,” the Bachelor alum wrote on Wednesday, February 19. “We knew that taking a ‘conscious separation’ would be difficult to explain to all of our supporters, friends and fans … and we knew of the potential tabloid frenzy that would incur. But we care so deeply about one another that we were willing to take the risk, as WE feel that this is the right move for US.”
She continued, “We weren’t planning on saying anything until we had actually processed what this new ‘chapter’ actually IS. But media outlets started reaching out to friends, family, and other cast members with crazy rumors, so we felt that we needed to make a statement from US. Were we ready? No. Did we feel pressure? Absolutely. Does it hurt to hear and read comments and judgments? Deeply. But we are choosing love and compassion over anger and fear.”
Nielson claimed that the duo “stunted” one another’s growth due to the “fear of disappointing and ‘failing.’” For her personally, she noted that this behavior stemmed from her childhood experiences where she felt pressured to “please others.” She also admitted to adopting “bad habits to numb out the pain” she was feeling in the past, but she shared her realization that such coping mechanisms never benefited her in the long run.
The health and fitness coach revealed that Randone moved out of their California home on February 15 to begin his new life in Florida. “I am so proud of him for making big moves. I am still here in San Diego with [my dogs] Wayne and Chucky and we are open to where our heart calls us to be next,” she added.
Nielson and Randone’s love story commenced when they met on the set of Bachelor in Paradise’s fifth season. They got engaged during the summer spinoff’s finale and their June 2019 nuptials aired on the show’s sixth season.
This past Valentine’s Day, Nielson and Randone called it quits after nearly eight months of marriage. In a statement to Bachelor Nation on February 14, the exes confirmed that they “mutually decided” to end their romance. They also noted that their commitment to working on themselves while remaining “best friends.”
In breaking her silence on the matter, Nielson spoke out across several Instagram Stories videos about how she was feeling about the split. “This has been our first public relationship. I’ve never had a public relationship before,” she shared on Tuesday, February 18. “I mean, the moment we first met and kissed and got engaged and got married was all publicized on television. So we’ve had so many of you rooters and supporters and we knew that taking some time apart could be painful, but that’s how much that we are rooting for one another and supporting one another and what each of us needs to do.”
