Bachelorette’s Brandon Jones Denies Cheating on Serene Russell, Wants to ‘Move Forward Peacefully’
Brandon Jones is sharing his “truth” after ex-fiancée Serene Russell accused him of infidelity.
“In light of recent events that have transpired over the last few days, I’ve needed to take a beat to reflect and process my emotions surrounding this delicate matter that is intimate and personal to me,” Jones, 29, wrote in a Saturday, October 21, Instagram Story statement. “Now that I’ve had a moment to digest, I want to clear the air and respond with my truth.”
The Bachelor in Paradise alum wanted to address the "false" narrative that is painting his character in a negative light. “To be transparent, before leaving for Texas, my partner and I made the difficult choice to go our separate ways,” Jones wrote. “As this was a public relationship, we both decided to hold off on sharing the news until we mutually felt it was time, so we [just] shared the names with family and friends.”
He continued: “Where I have taken fault and responsibility, is a conversation we shared the day before I left speaking on doing long distance. Unfortunately, during this time of private separation, coming back from Austin, a video came to light, that while harmless, made my ex-partner upset.”
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Jones and Russell, 28, met on season 8 of BiP, getting engaged during the November 2022 season finale. They confirmed in May that they decided to call off their engagement days after he was pictured getting cozy with another woman. Russell then claimed during the Thursday, October 19, episode of the “Off the Vine” podcast that Jones had been unfaithful.
According to Jones, he spoke with Russell “one-on-one” after the video came out about “navigating our new normal.”
“She felt that I had cheated and wanted to make this news known,” he alleged. “For the record, in the early days of our official breakup, I shared one dance with a woman … nothing else, just a single dance before leaving with my friends.”
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Russell went on to tell podcast host Kaitlyn Bristowe earlier this week that a stranger DM’ed her on Instagram with information about his alleged infidelity. “After that, it was like, ‘There’s irreparable damage,’” Russell said on Thursday. "There was just no coming back.”
Jones asserted on Saturday that he was “completely understanding” of his former fiancée’s “valid feelings” and immediately “took ownership” of his actions.
“As we had made amends and agreed to put this behind us, I was surprised to learn, very publicly, that there are still lingering issues between us that need to be resolved,” he added. “Out of profound respect for the time we shared together, I want to move forward peacefully, ultimately hoping to preserve our memories and former relationship.”
Russell, who noted on Thursday that they are not in contact, has not publicly responded to his social media message.
