Baby steps. Lauren Bushnell is getting real about her split from boyfriend Devin Antin and how she is attempting to move on.
“Not everything works out, but it’s good to give it a try and give it your best,” the Bachelor alum, 28, told Us Weekly at Rachel Zoe’s Spring 2019 Los Angeles Presentation on Tuesday, September 4.
Us exclusively reported on August 20 that Bushnell and Antin had broken up after more than a year of dating. She previously got engaged to Ben Higgins during the season 20 finale of The Bachelor, which aired in March 2016, but the pair called it quits in May 2017.
Bushnell is not ready to step into another relationship just yet. “Not right now, no. I’m gonna need a second. It’s funny,” she said. “I always was so scared to be alone, but now I’m really cherishing the alone time to grow and reflect on what worked and what didn’t and really make sure I take my time this time around, because I did kind of rush into it last time I think, so I’m actually very much … I’m very content on my own right now.”
The reality star has advice for anyone going through a similar situation. “A breakup is hard, especially the first few weeks or month. It’s hard when you have to see the person, so I think it’s good to unfollow and not to be petty or anything, but just so you don’t have to see what they’re doing,” she explained. “It’s not healthy to know what the other person is doing all the time, and I think that in today’s day and age is what makes the breakup really hard.”
She added: “Surround yourself with family and friends, but also take time to be sad and, like, it’s OK to cry, it’s OK to feel things. It’s actually really good to feel it rather than just numb yourself.”
Bushnell told Us she hopes to “physically make a list of what I want and what I don’t want” in a future partner, but some qualities in particular she’s looking for include a sense of humor, a good personality and someone who shares the same values and life goals as her.
The Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After? alum shared with reporters that she would not be opposed to dating within Bachelor Nation: “I feel like I’m in an open place where I want to settle down, I want to meet that person that I can spend my life with, and I would never close a door before it’s open.”
With reporting by Carly Sloane
