Clayton Echard is single again after the former Bachelor star announced his split from Susie Evans. Is anyone surprised? Anyone? (Crickets.)
Sharing the breakup news in in a lengthy joint statement last week, Clayton and Susie began by saying, “With incredibly heavy hearts, we wanted to share that we have decided to go our separate ways. For anyone who has ever loved, knows this was a painful decision to make and not one taken lightly.”
“We understand that there will likely be a lot of questions about this decision,” they continued. “Social media is definitely a highlight reel and much of our experiences together we have kept private as I’m sure most can understand. But we will share this — although this last year together has brought us so much joy and so many laughs, there has also been a significant amount of pain. We know no healthy relationship comes without its struggles, but we’ve realized that we were not prepared for the external forces that hindered our ability to not only heal as individuals but also as a couple.”
Clayton and Susie said they are “focused on continuing to work on ourselves, so we can be the best version of ourselves” going forward, as reported by People.
“This is not an easy time for either of us but we stand in support of each other and hope to see the other go on to find happiness and healing,” they explained. “Although Claysie is no more, we hope that our communities can support us individually as we move forward with love and respect for each other.”
Concluding the post, the former couple added, “Thank you to all of you that supported our relationship. It means so much more than you will ever know.”
The decision to end their relationship comes just a few weeks after Clayton and Susie announced that they were each moving to different cities in separate states, but would continue to pursue a long-distance relationship — after living together for less than a year. Surely I wasn’t the only one to see the writing on the wall. Most of us knew then that it was only a matter of time.
At the time Clayton said, “We’re like, ‘We don’t know if it’s going to be a month-long [relationship] from here or if it’s gonna be [a] lifetime. but, like, there’s no pressure. Let’s just love each other and be thankful.'”
Clayton and Susie seemed to have an immediate connection when they met on Season 27 of The Bachelor. It wasn’t all champagne and roses for them, though, as Clayton actually sent Susie home after she told him that if he had been intimate with either of the other two remaining women during their Fantasy Suite dates, that would be a deal breaker for her.
Unfortunately, Susie dropped that bombshell following his overnight dates with competitors Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey. D’oh! The deer in the headlights look on Clayton‘s face was unmistakable, before attempting to turn the blame onto Susie for not telling him earlier and putting her in a limo home.
During the finale episode, though, Clayton decided not to give his final rose to either of his remaining two women, precipitating the Rose Ceremony from Hell. Rachel and Gabby‘s anguished sobs are probably still echoing through that beautiful Icelandic cathedral.
Instead, he backtracked after realizing Susie was the woman for him, and they appeared as a couple on the show’s finale. Although Clayton admitted that they faced backlash from Bachelor Nation surrounding decisions he made on The Bachelor, he claimed that he and Susie were “very, very happy right now and in a really great spot.”
“I didn’t really think it was gonna happen,” Clayton said of winning Susie back. “Especially after the way that we ended things. I just held on to hope.” They moved in together shortly thereafter.
But in early April, a woman on TikTok claimed that she had been intimate with Clayton while he was in a relationship with Susie. He denied the rumors on Instagram.
“People that make these false accusations should be held accountable,” Clayton said. “Trying to gain clout by ruining a relationship is embarrassing and extremely immature.”
I would say that the woman on TikTok isn’t the only one who’s immature.
TELL US- ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT CLAYTON AND SUSIE BROKE UP AFTER ATTEMPTING A LONG-DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP? WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT THEY GOT BACK TOGETHER IN THE FIRST PLACE AFTER HE LET HER GO FROM THE SHOW?
[Photo Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin]
