Bachelor in Paradise's Katie Says Her Relationship with Chris Is 'So Much Better' After Show
The Bachelor in Paradise cameras have stopped rolling, and newly engaged couple Katie Morton and Chris Bukowski are excited about building a future together.
Morton, who was initially without her engagement ring during the BiP reunion segment on Tuesday evening, told PeopleTV’s Reality Check that she did not think her engagement was nearing its end as she publicly aired her relationship struggles with Bukowski, 32.
“No, that’s not what I was thinking,” she said on Wednesday. “It’s so hard to explain. … I knew we had talked about that before, and it had been really hard for us to communicate our differences and what each other needed, especially being kind of like stranded and in hiding while separated. Really hard, especially because Chris is such a man of action and quality time and he does things for people, and talking on the phone all the time was a little bit harder to get words out of him.”
Morton’s relationship with Bukowski after leaving the beach in Mexico was a “rollercoaster,” the former Bachelor contestant said, and she felt she had to be honest when it came time to publicly discuss it on Tuesday night.
RELATED: Katie Morton and Chris Bukowski Reveal They’re Still Together After BIP Finale: ‘Love Is Tough’
“Chris Harrison asked me a lot of questions, even prior to what you guys saw, and so the emotions were like building up,” she explained. “But since then, it’s been so great. We’ve been able to be together, and he’s met my family and my friends, and seeing him with them, has been … it’s just been so much better now that we can like hang out.”
Bukowski, who has had multiple stints on the ABC franchise before Paradise season 6, felt that keeping his engagement a secret from the public made things even tougher for the couple.
“I think both of us excel in public settings, you know with our friends, with our family. And not being able to do that, it was tough, and just kind of communicating in a way that I’m really not used to communicating,” said Bukowski. “It made it tough, but at the end of the day, I actually think it made us better and strong. So sometimes it takes things like that to get to a point where we are at today, and I think every day we get better in our relationship.”
After the BiP finale, both Morton and Bukowski shared lengthy Instagram posts, where they confirmed they are still very much together following their tense in-studio appearance together on the episode.
Joining host Chris Harrison alone on stage, Morton sent shockwaves through Bachelor nation when she appeared without her engagement ring on her finger. While she reassured fans that she and Bukowski were still engaged, she opened up to Harrison about their struggles.
RELATED: Bachelor in Paradise: Katie Morton and Chris Bukowski Admit Relationship Has Been ‘Rocky’
“I fell in love with potential that may never come to fruition, but I’m just praying it does,” Morton told the show’s host.
Harrison then brought Bukowski out to join his fiancée on stage, who also agreed the relationship had been rocky. Morton credited part of the problem with being how she saw their relationship portrayed when she watched the show back, saying, “I thought I was going to watch back and see how in love with me you were, but I didn’t see that.”
While their session with Harrison ended with Morton putting her ring back on, the episode showed the couple leave and continue to argue outside. Bukowski could be seen walking off after telling Morton she had “blindsided” him by opening up to Harrison.
“I didn’t want to blindside you, ever,” Morton responded.
While they both went their separate ways at the end of the episode, fans can now rest assured they found their way back to one another.
