Chris Randone and Krystal Nielson’s Love Story: From ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ to a TV Wedding and Beyond

Credit: ABC/Troy Harvey

Chris Randone and Krystal Nielson’s Love Story: From ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ to a TV Wedding and Beyond

Chris Randone and Krystal Nielson have called it quits after nearly eight months of marriage.  Krystal first broke out in the Bachelor Nation world when she quickly came under fire during Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s season of The Bachelor. Fans may remember the personal trainer refusing to attend the rest of a group date during season 22 after Arie invited all of the women out instead of just the winning bowling team, as promised. As a result, Krystal had a meltdown on the car ride back, allegedly slamming her costars and accusing the race car driver of having a “needle d--k.” Chris, meanwhile, first competed for Becca Kufrin’s heart on season 14 of The Bachelorette. The former sales trainer spiraled during the season, going off on both his fellow contestants and Becca herself before he was sent home. When the twosome met during Bachelor in Paradise season 5, however, there was an instant connection. After bonding over their respective Bachelor/Bachelorette experiences, they started dating. And while there was minor drama during their time on the beach, Chris popped the question on the finale. [jwplayer tZWVL5cS-l3ahXupL] A year later, Chris and Krystal returned to Mexico to get married and their nuptials were captured by ABC cameras. “Married life is great, we feel a lot more stable now knowing that we kind of have accomplished this chapter of putting a ring on one another,” Chris gushed to Us Weekly exclusively before their nuptials aired on Bachelor in Paradise season 6 in August 2019. “And honestly there's just been a lot of growth lately within the relationship and just a lot of great moments and we're just really happy for what's next.” Krystal echoed her husband’s remarks, noting that Chris is the first person she’s ever trusted in a relationship. “[It] feels so comforting and peaceful and I feel so supported and like I don't have to be so strong and independent because my husband has my back and we’re a team,” she explained. “It’s such an incredible feeling.” One year later, the pair would announce their separation on February 14, 2020. Scroll through to see the way they were: Hear the Us Weekly editors break down the most surprising celebrity births during the pandemic in under 2 minutes!

Credit: ABC/Paul Hebert

First Meeting

Chris and Krystal met on the beach during Bachelor in Paradise season 5, which aired during the summer of 2018.

Credit: ABC/Paul Hebert(2)

A Love Triangle

The twosome’s love story was briefly interrupted by Connor Obrochta after he asked Krystal on a date when he arrived in Paradise. While the fitness expert admitted at the time that she came to Mexico to meet Connor, she ultimately pursued a relationship with Chris. 

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Randone/Instagram

Engaged!

Chris’ proposal speech, which aired on the season 5 finale, was unconventional, but Krystal happily accepted! 

“I have to be honest with myself and I have to be honest with you. And I’m so sorry Krystal, but it would be unfair to the both of us if I left here today holding your hand,” he began. “Because I want to leave here holding your heart, and I want to give you my heart today, tomorrow and forever. I love you so much and I honestly cannot picture a life without you. You’re the woman I know I want to be with. Krystal Nicole Nielson, will you marry me?”

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Randone/Instagram

On the Move

The pair announced in October 2018 that they were moving into their first home together in San Diego. In August 2019, Chris and Krystal opened up to Us about their plans to relocate but stay in California. 

“I don't know if it's going to be L.A., it might be Orange County, it might be Dana Point,” Chris told Us. “We have a beautiful place in Little Italy, San Diego, which we do love. We do love our family and right now we're just taking it month by month. And I think once we get that ‘Aha’ moment or our intuition guides us to the right destination of choice, I think that's when we're gonna pull the trigger on where we should go.” 

Credit: ABC/John Fleenor

Saying “I Do”

The twosome exchanged vows in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on June 16, 2019, in front of Bachelor Nation and officiate Chris Harrison. 

Credit: ABC/John Fleenor

Future Plans

Chris and Krystal told Us that they plan to continue working on themselves and their relationship before they start having kids.

“We have a nice plan that we've drawn up and it's really to continue to work on ourselves individually over the course of the rest of the year,” he explained. “And what I mean by that is we're going to be doing a lot of self-development and a lot of growth between one another. And we're allowing ourselves to really become more in tune with ourselves and also as a collective unit, which is important for us to be on that path of having kids because we want to make sure we're at the highest versions of ourselves before we go ahead and bring a kid into the universe.”

Krystal noted that the pair were both raised by single mothers. 

“Having our fathers there caused a lot of deep wounds that we weren't even really fully aware of until we started kind of planning this wedding and emotions were surfacing,” she admitted to Us. “We really identified where we needed to take some time for healing individually and then coming together as a couple. So it's been this growth of personal development, awareness and ownership, especially in regards to our seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. [We’re] just owning those elements and honoring and forgiving and loving ourselves and growing. And so it's been so transformative for our relationship, but it's actually changed my course of work, which I'm now doing life coaching because of the work we've committed to in our relationship.” 

With reporting by Kayley Stumpe

Credit: ABC/John Fleenor

Watching Their Nuptials

While Chris told Us that it wasn’t an “easy decision” to televise their wedding, the couple were ultimately glad they did. 

“I was concerned because, you know, previously,  there wasn't great moments for me being on the show,” he admitted. “But over time, we discussed about kind of what we wanted in a wedding and it was definitely a great feeling knowing that we could go back to a place with our friends and family where we first met, said ‘I love you’ to each other, where we first had our great moments together and also to just leave Bachelor Nation on TV on a good note.” 

Krsytal agreed, noting it was “so special” that the pair’s first meeting, first date, first kiss and wedding were “captured and documented” on the series. 

“Being able to show this next phase of our relationship with fans who have been so supportive of us and just on the streets, giving us so much love and encouragement and telling us how our love story of overcoming struggles and sharing the triumphs and finding each other, how much it's inspired them to not give up on love was [important to us],” she explained. “Just because you make mistakes, you can still keep pushing forward and find someone that draws out the best qualities in you. And so we wanted to really inspire people with the work we put into our relationship.” 

Credit: ABC/Paul Hebert

Starting a Family

The pair revealed they were ready to have kids in August 2019. “She let it be known that she’s off birth control, and I didn’t know that,” Randone exclusively told Us at the ABC All-Star Party & Interview Opportunity in West Hollywood. Nielson chimed in at the time: “We’re going to spend the rest of the year just detoxing, putting good stuff in our body. We want to start trying for a family at the beginning of the year. So we’re just using the rest of the year to … get situated get our new home [and] take our honeymoon.”

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

It’s Over

The pair announced they were separating after nearly eight months of marriage in February 2020. "It hurts to announce that at this moment, we have mutually decided to separate. Never did we imagine this scenario, but we’ve come to a point where we both need to work on ourselves,” the pair told Bachelor Nation in a statement. "We are best friends that love and care for each other so deeply. We’ve appreciated everyone’s love and support so far throughout our journey and we just ask that you please respect our privacy as we navigate through this."

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin (2)

Speaking Out

Days after the split announcement, Nielson broke her silence on the separation across a series of Instagram Stories. “This has been our first public relationship. I’ve never had a public relationship before,” she said in February 2020. “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.”

Credit: Courtesy Krystal Nielson/Instagram

Keeping It Real

Nielson divulged more into her breakup from Randone in an Instagram post, which led with an old photo of the couple sweetly embracing one another. “We know that this isn’t conventional and people are absolutely entitled to their opinions — but we’ve realized how much we have stunted our growth bc of the fear of disappointing and ‘failing’ others — and therefore neglecting what WE need to thrive,” she explained in February 2020. “For me, this stems all the way back to my childhood and the need to please others in order to feel worthy of their love and acceptance. But living a life to please others will only leave you empty and full of regrets.”

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Randone/Instagram

Missing Her

While watching part one of The Bachelor season 24 finale in March 2020, the Florida native showed his estranged wife some love. “On a side note … I miss my wife #TheBachelor,” Randone wrote via Twitter at the time.

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Randone/Instagram

Moving Forward With the Divorce

Randone told Us exclusively in August 2020 that he “just got the [divorce] paperwork, not too long ago” from Nielson following their breakup earlier in the year. The reality star explained that he had a “lot of crying moments during this pandemic,” but noted that the coronavirus pandemic also served as a way to help him process the divorce.

“The only thing I could do was focus on me and my emotions,” Randone revealed. “And so as time went by, like, I gained a different perspective. And so as much as I wanted to [reconcile] and the attempts that I made, at least I can move forward knowing that I did that.”

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Randone/Instagram

The Writing on the Wall

“There were definitely moments where there were either warning signs or there were just mixed signals,” Randone told Us in August 2020 of what led to his split from Nielson. “I think one of the biggest issues was me going from one show to the next, with really no time to process.”

The Change Your Mindset, Change Your Energy, Change Your Life coauthor explained that he “abandoned” himself while jumping from one Bachelor Nation project to the next “which I think led to just some issues within me as well.” When the two parted ways it was “definitely mutual” according to Randone and he’s since come to terms with the breakup.

“In life we have different chapters and different layers that help us move forward and building blocks in life,” he told Us. “I feel like this marriage and this separation, and then now, you know, the divorce, I think it's just a building block for the both of us, and a ladder to where we're allowed to really take that experience, grow from it and take ourselves to the next level. And hopefully, you know, continue to just show love and compassion.”

Credit: Courtesy of Krystal Nielson/Instagram

Krystal Moves On

The fitness coach introduced her new man via Instagram in October 2020 but did not reveal his identity. “I’ve learned this year to lean into love… To let go over the constant anxiety over what people think of me… And to stop putting MY life, and the things that me make ME happy, on hold,” she captioned a photo of the pair kissing. Nielson later called her beau “a special person in my life.”

Credit: Courtesy of Krystal Nielson/Instagram

Pregnant!

Nielson announced in November 2020 that she is pregnant, expecting her first child with her boyfriend, Miles Bowles. When a Twitter user wrote about Randone's ex-wife being “knocked up by her new boyfriend,” the Florida native replied to the tweet with a GIF of an athlete shaking his head and shrugging on the sidelines of a game.

Credit: Courtesy of Krystal Nielson/Instagram

Chris’ Side of the Story

Two days after Krystal announced her pregnancy, Chris elaborated on his feelings about the situation. “Icing on the cake for feeling truly broken,” he wrote via his Instagram Story in November 2020. “But I know in my heart I’m gonna find a super dope woman and have the most beautiful babies a dad could ask for. So I’ll continue to follow my heart and let God guide my path in finding an incredible woman to build & grow with.” 

Chris added that he was still “working through the trauma” of their divorce. “I’ll never be okay about it but I will just continue to be grateful for the years I had with that love,” he shared. “At least, the love I had in my heart.”