Another Bachelor Nation couple has called it quits.
Clayton Echard and Susie Evans decided to go their separate ways six months after revealing their relationship on the season finale of The Bachelor. The pair announced their breakup with a joint statement on Instagram on Friday, 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.”
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While Susie and Clayton did not go into detail about what led to their split, they did note that social media is only a “highlight reel” and that they had been through “a significant amount of pain” in the past year. Wonder what might have happened?! They continued:
“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. We both are focused on continuing to work on ourselves, so we can be the best version of ourselves.”
Despite ending their relationship, the two still plan to “support” each other:
“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. 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. Thank you to all of you that supported our relationship. It means so much more than you will ever know.”
The breakup news comes after the duo revealed they were moving to separate states after living together in Virginia Beach. Clayton planned on going to Scottsdale, Arizona, while Susie was heading to El Lay. Guess that should have been the fans’ first sign of trouble in paradise! You can read their entire statement (below):
So sad!
As viewers know, the former couple first met on season 26 of The Bachelor. Their journey to find love in the season had been complicated (to say the least) as Clayton was in love with his final three women — Susie, Rachel Recchia, Gabby Windey. While Susie left the show after finding out Clayton was also in love with and had slept with the other two contestants, she came back for the last episode but still rejected his proposal during the final rose ceremony. However, they ended up rekindling their romance once the show was over. Susie shared with Extra in March that they reconnected after she reached out to see how he was doing:
“I reached out to Clayton after the show to check in on him, see how things were going, and I posed the idea of having just one more candid conversation, just the two of us. We talked a lot. We talked for several weeks with no intention, no pressure to start a relationship or anything, but we just kept reaching back out to each other and eventually we made the decision to meet up in person, still no pressure. No title or anything. We just took it day by day, and it’s led us here. We’re happy.”
But sadly, as the twosome revealed this week, “Claysie is no more.” Are you surprised Clayton and Susie split, Bachelor fans? Drop your reactions in the comments below.
[Image via Susie Evans/Instagram]
The post Another <i>Bachelor</i> Couple Split! Read Clayton Echard & Susie Evans’ Statement! appeared first on Perez Hilton.