'The Bachelor' News: Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell Confirm Split
After getting engaged last year, "The Bachelor" stars Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell have decided to end their relationship. The ex-couple confirmed their breakup on Monday, saying they will stay friends despite their split.
In a statement they gave to People, Higgins and Bushnell said they were fortunate for the time they spent together. Despite their decision to go their separate ways, they said they would still be friends "with much love and respect for one another." The two celebrities also wanted nothing less than "the best for each other" and asked others to be supportive of their decision to call it quits.
The announcement came as a surprise for their fans, considering how the pair seemed so happy, excited and very much in love.
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Hosting "Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings" earlier this month, the two were generous enough to share details about their status at the time with Entertainment Tonight.
During the interview, Higgins said they were "having a blast being engaged and enjoying that time without having the stresses of planning a wedding on top of it."
Bushnell also said that once they reach their three-year mark, the media publication will be the "first to know" of any wedding plans they make. At the time, they had been together for only a year and a half.
Higgins and Bushnell met in last year's season of "The Bachelor," which premiered in January 2016 on ABC. He proposed to her with the final rose during the season finale that aired March of the same year. A little after the end of Higgins' season, the two moved in together. They also appeared on the eight-episode documentary series, "Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After," six months after.
Before their show "Happily Ever After" premiered in October 2016, speculations were rife that their relationship was on the rocks. Talk that they were going through a rough patch started when Higgins and Bushnell revealed that they had been attending couples' counseling in their church. However, the couple was quick to deny the rumors at the time, saying that their wedding was still on and that they had no plans of breaking up in the future.
