Jason Tartick Marks 35th Birthday with Plea to 'Please Be Better Than 34' After Kaitlyn Bristowe Split

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'The Bachelorette' alum is optimistic about his future

<p>Jeff Spicer/Getty; Jason Tartick/Instagram</p> Jason Tartick (left) and in his Oct. 23 Instagram (right)

Jeff Spicer/Getty; Jason Tartick/Instagram

Jason Tartick (left) and in his Oct. 23 Instagram (right)

Jason Tartick is sharing his birthday wish for his 35th year.

After his breakup from The Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe earlier in 2023, the television personality has one simple plea for what’s to come.

“Dear 35, you’re off to a great start . . . please be better than 34. Love, me,” Tartick captioned an Instagram carousel Monday.

Tartick’s cover photo for the carousel featured the newly-single star standing shirtless in a pair of blue swim trunks.

The former Bachelorette contestant’s photo dump was geotagged with his location as Europe. In the images, he soaked up the sun on a yacht, attended a soccer game and went sightseeing with family.

This is Tartick’s first birthday since splitting from Bristowe.

<p>John Parra/Getty </p> Jason Tartick and Kaitlyn Bristowe

John Parra/Getty

Jason Tartick and Kaitlyn Bristowe

After dating for several years and getting engaged in May 2021, the former couple called it quits in early August.

Related: Every 'Bachelor' and 'Bachelorette' Couple: Where Are They Now?

The Bachelor Nation duo told fans on Instagram they had already discussed the breakup with family and close friends, and took “time to properly process it ourselves” before letting the world know.

“We are saddened with heavy hearts to share that we have decided to end our engagement,” they continued in a joint statement.

A photo alongside the announcement showed the two sitting together, smiling as they embraced one another.

<p>Jason Tartick Instagram</p> Jason Tartick and Kaitlyn Bristowe

Jason Tartick Instagram

Jason Tartick and Kaitlyn Bristowe

"We are thankful for all of you who gave us the time and space to process this life-altering decision as there are many emotions and changes to navigate,” the lengthy post continued.

Later that month, Tartick opened up on how the split was affecting him.

It physically and mentally sucks,” he said while going through a storage unit in an Aug. 23 Instagram video. The clip also showed the former couple’s dogs, Ramen and Pinot, watching him move out.

Bristowe, 38, later claimed it was unfair the way she’d been painted amid their split, adding that Tartick didn’t “protect her” when he shared footage of himself moving out of their home.

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"I'm going to grieve. I genuinely lost a friend out of this breakup. Like, it's just crazy. I knew it was going to be bad. I didn't know it was going to be that bad of what people were saying to me," she said on her Off the Vine podcast in September, referring to some fans siding with Tartick in the wake of the split.

"It didn't protect me because it made me look like I was taking the dogs away from him," she continued.

Tartick and Bristowe met in October 2018 and began dating the following January.

In an October 2019 Instagram post, Bristowe expressed her appreciation for Tartick, sharing how the two first met. She recalled how she was in Seattle for a podcast and “was crying on FaceTime to my dad” when Tartick appeared.

He comforted her with a hug, and said,  "'Let's have a soft Tuesday together.'" She added that after meeting him, she discovered, “If you spend two seconds with Jason you realize his energy is electric and you can't help but be in a good mood."

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