Kaitlyn Bristowe Says 'Nothing' Happened to Cause Jason Tartick Split but They Stopped Prioritizing Each Other

The Bachelor Nation stars, who got engaged in May 2021, publicly announced their breakup on Instagram in early August

Kaitlyn Bristowe is opening up about the circumstances surrounding her split from Jason Tartick.

On the latest episode of her Off the Vine podcast, the Bachelorette alum, 38, set the record straight on their breakup. She and Tartick, 34, began dating in 2019 and got engaged in May 2021 before announcing their split this August.

Speaking to guest and best friend Lo VonRumpf, Bristowe emphasized that, despite rumors, there's "no sides" to take in the breakup.

"I’ve never respected someone more through a breakup than I do with Jason," she shared. "I think people assume if people break up, something bad happened. And I think that’s the hardest part of this whole breakup — nothing bad happened. It’s just been over time. We have both not made each other a priority."

Related: Kaitlyn Bristowe and Jason Tartick End Their Engagement: 'We Are Saddened with Heavy Hearts'

"You don't have to choose sides — root for us both to be happy and grow and learn," she continued, getting emotional. "It's sad. We are both so sad. You know, you think you're gonna spend your life with somebody ... we're grieving a loss."

But the Bachelor Nation stars no longer being together doesn't mean they're out of each other's lives. In fact, Bristowe revealed that Tartick literally lives "down the street." She explained that she continues to see him regularly because they still share their two dogs, Ramen and Pinot.

She acknowledged that the arrangement might seem "confusing" to some people, but asked fans to "just trust in what we’re doing" and be supportive of them both. She also hinted that the door isn't totally closed on a potential rekindling down the road.

"Maybe in six months from now, we go, ‘Yeah, this was the right move,'" she said. "And maybe in six months, we go, ‘You know what, I want to choose you.’ But we haven’t been choosing each other."

Related: Kaitlyn Bristowe and Jason Tartick's Relationship Timeline

"I do need to choose myself. And I want him to choose himself," she added. "The right person is going to choose each other — you’re gonna prioritize each other, and we just haven't been."

The pair announced their breakup in a joint Instagram post on Aug. 7, writing, "After sharing the news with family and close friends first, and taking the time to properly process it ourselves, we are saddened with heavy hearts to share that we have decided to end our engagement."

The caption added that they were "thankful" for the time and space to process the "life-altering" choice. They also revealed that they would continue to share ownership of their dogs and revealed, "Continuing our friendship is incredibly important to both of us."

"We feel grateful to be ending our engagement with love and respect for each other," the former couple concluded the post. "It’s heartbreaking and sad to say goodbye, but our care and admiration for one another will never die."

Related: Kaitlyn Bristowe Is 'Taking a Little Break' from Social Media Following Jason Tartick Split: 'Bye for Now'

Bristowe and Tartick met in 2018 during a taping of the Off the Vine podcast. In an interview with PEOPLE the following year, she raved about their relationship being rock solid.

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"My relationship with Jason was definitely not something I expected," the Bachelorette alum said at the time. "When I met him, dating anyone wasn’t even on my radar, especially dating anyone in Bachelor world, but something in my mind was rooting for him. And I thought, whoever dates him is a lucky girl."

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