Bachelor in Paradise's Demi Burnett and Kristian Haggerty Confirm Split
Yet another Bachelor in Paradise relationship has come to an end.
Just one day after Tayshia Adams and John Paul Jones announced they had split, Demi Burnett and Kristian Haggerty have confirmed the rumors that their engagement is off.
The first same-sex couple in Bachelor Nation history announced the news on their respective Instagram pages on Thursday. They shared the same statement with various photos from their time together.
“What has always been at the forefront of our relationship is love and care for one another,” their statement began. “Our priority is doing what is best for us. With a heavy heart full of love for one another we have decided it is best for us to take a step back from our relationship. We ultimately want what is best for us in the long run and for us right now, that means being apart and growing individually.”
“We have felt so much love and support from you all as you’ve followed our journey together and for that we are grateful,” they continued. “We will forever be proud of the impact our love story has made and we hope it has helped others feel more accepted and confident within themselves. We hope it reminded others they aren’t alone and don’t need to be ashamed of who they are.”
A post shared by Demi Burnett (@demi_not_lovato) on Oct 31, 2019 at 11:00am PDT
A post shared by KRISTIAN HAGGERTY (@kristianhaggerty) on Oct 31, 2019 at 11:00am PDT
“And we hope it shows that two people can love one another in different ways and for us right now that is apart,” they added. “But we remain committed to encouraging each other, supporting each other and continuing forward in a way best for us.”
Prior to the breakup, both Burnett, 24, and Haggerty, 27, had not posted about the other on social media since Sept. 19, which led to online rumors that the couple had split.
Speaking to PEOPLE after the season finale, Burnett, who came out as queer on the show, said she has no regrets about the experience.
“I’ve learned that it’s okay to be myself and embrace that and own it,” she said. “I want to be honest and open. Love is love!”
Burnett added that she and Haggerty weren’t planning on rushing into the next steps of their relationship, even though she said she was “super excited to plan a wedding.”
“I don’t think we should jump into moving in together. We already got engaged in such a short amount of time,” she explained. “We need to have time to date and have a steady-paced relationship.”
The two began dating off-camera before Burnett — a Bachelor fan-favorite — left to film Paradise. She connected with Derek Peth in Mexico, but when Haggerty (who had not been on The Bachelor) arrived, she won her over, and they decided to remain on the show as a couple, getting engaged during the finale.
