The final rose. The Bachelor’s Lauren Bushnell and Ben Higgins have called it quits on their relationship after vowing to live their lives together during the season 20 finale of The Bachelor last year.
As fans will remember, Higgins proposed to Bushnell after a dramatic season, where he also confessed his love to Joelle Fletcher. After accepting his proposal, Bushnell admitted during numerous interviews that Higgins’ declaration of love for Fletcher affected their relationship after the cameras left.
“I did carry some resentment toward him,” Bushnell, 27, told Us Weekly in October 2016. “I had such a hard time trying to understand and put myself in his shoes, and finally was like, ‘I will never understand. I will never be the Bachelor.’”
The duo also documented their ups and downs on their own realty show, Freeform’s Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After?, which ended after one season after the couple decided to take time off TV. While the now-exes shocked the Bachelor Nation during an episode by calling off their wedding, they kept fans hopeful through social media.
Despite Bushnell hinting at a split in her March 23 birthday post as Higgins turned 29 on May 4, the former reality star shared a thoughtful post about his then-fiancée. “She is the light of this world,” he wrote along a sweet black-and-white photo of the pair.
But less than two weeks later, on Monday, May 15, the couple announced that they had ended their engagement.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce our decision to go our separate ways,” they told People in a joint statement. “We feel fortunate for the time we had together, and will remain friends with much love and respect for one another. We wish nothing but the best for each other, and ask for your support and understanding at this time.”
