Another day, another reality TV couple that bites the dust. Unfortunately, Katie Thurston and Blake Moynes have called it quits following their engagement on season 17 of The Bachelorette. The couple broke the news on Instagram via a joint statement, and ultimately, it sounds like they just weren’t meant for each other.
“It is with mutual love and respect that we have decided to go our separate ways,” they both wrote on Instagram. “We are so grateful for the moments we shared together and the entire journey that has unfolded this year, but we ultimately have concluded that we are not compatible as life partners, and it is the most caring choice for both of us to move forward independently,” they continued.
Of course, a ton of alums from the franchise jumped into the comments with supportive messages. Clare Crawley commented on Katie’s post with a heart, while Olivia Caridi left hearts on Blake’s Instagram post with a note saying, “So sorry for you both.”
While they definitely seemed like a cute couple on season 17 of The Bachelorette, the writing may have been on the wall that this relationship wouldn’t last. They were living in separate countries, and just a few weeks after the season concluded, Katie took to Instagram to lament over the challenges they were facing.
“I don’t think people fully understand what it’s like to date someone from another country and the rules behind that and the visas behind that,” she said in an Instagram story, according to Life & Style. “I think right now, Blake can only be here for 60 days before having to go back to Canada, so we really do have a lot we have to look into — and we just haven’t yet — before we can plan really anything else.”
Another hurdle in their relationship is the fact that they had to keep it under wraps while the season aired. “We started our relationship in a bubble only to continue our engagement in a bubble. For months we couldn’t be seen together. Our secret trips never felt long enough. We couldn’t wait to experience life together. Real life. The simple things that many of us forget to appreciate,” Katie wrote alongside a black-and-white Instagram post this past August.
Although The Bachelor franchise doesn’t have the strongest track record of creating long-lasting relationships, you hold out a little hope that maybe this is the one that will stick. So, it’s always a bummer to see a couple fall apart. But now that they’re single, perhaps one of them can head over to Bachelor in Paradise for another shot at love?
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT KATIE THURSTON AND BLAKE MOYNES BROKE UP? DO YOU THINK THE LONG-DISTANCE ASPECT PLAYED A PART IN THEIR DEMISE?
[Photo Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images]
