Too Hot to Handle 's Harry Jowsey Reveals Why He Broke Up with Costar Francesca Farago
Harry Jowsey is speaking out about his breakup with Too Hot to Handle costar Francesca Farago.
In a YouTube video titled "I broke up with her" on Wednesday, the reality star opened up about his relationship with Farago, revealing to fans that he "had to end things to protect myself and Francesca."
"Taking ownership of my decision," he wrote in the description of the clip. "Not everything works out and that's ok."
According to Jowsey, who met Farago on the set of the Netflix dating show in 2019, he was initially "infatuated" with his costar but things became more complicated when they started seeing each other long-distance after production ended. (Jowsey is originally from Australia, while Farago currently resides in Vancouver, Canada.)
"I flew to Vancouver to spend time with Francesca and I saw a different side of Francesca at that point in time," he recalled in the video. "Long story short, I broke up with her for the first time after she came to visit me in Australia."
Netflix Harry Jowsey and Francesca Farago
Jowsey continued, "There was a big reason why I had to end things with Francesca because I was in a very dark point in my life."
However, the split was short-lived, according to Jowsey. The two reconciled when Too Hot to Handle premiered on Netflix, though Jowsey admitted that he was still feeling "really damaged" and "hurt" at the time.
Harry Jowsey and Francesca Farago
“I saw Francesca and I remember holding her … and I could feel how much she still loved me and I just didn’t have that feeling anymore,” he remembered, getting emotional. "But I didn't want to give up on anything. I didn't want to let go because I knew what we have was super, super rare."
Though Jowsey eventually called it quits a second time, he told fans Farago will "always gonna have a special spot in my heart."
"I'm always gonna love Francesca," he added. "I'm always gonna have a soft spot in my heart for her."
On Tuesday, Farago broke the news of her split with Jowsey in a YouTube video titled "Our Breakup," sharing the Australian native was the one who broke off their relationship because "he couldn't do long-distance anymore."
"I genuinely thought we were going through a rocky period and that we were going to figure it out," she said. "I thought we were going to end up together. I thought we were going to get married."
"There are a lot of things I personally believe, for my mental health, that I cannot tolerate anymore. I cannot fake a relationship. I cannot pretend that everything is going to be okay," Farago explained, tearing up. "I'm deciding to come forward with this video to announce that we're not together and we're not getting back together because I needed to solidify that in my own brain."
Netflix Harry Jowsey and Francesca Farago
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Joswey addressed some of the things Farago touched on in his video on Wednesday, confirming his ex's claim that they often argued while they were together.
"When we were together, we were always on edge," he explained. "The happiest moments of my life were with her but when things were bad, they were really bad. So every time we would fight, it would just be the worst and the most depressed time of my life."
"Anyone in my circle will tell you I've never been so sad and so happy in my entire life," he added.
"People change and sometimes you see things in people that you don't want to see, that you don't want to be around. I just had to end it because ... I knew that if I continued to be with Francesca that it would end up with her being seriously heartbroken or me continually being seriously depressed in the relationship."
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In the video, Jowsey also explained why he waited to go public with the breakup. As he is now living in Los Angeles and Farago has plans to relocate to the same city, he said, "We realized that with our relationship, we haven't built the fundamental steps in building a healthy relationship. So we wanted to start as friends on a friendship level and build that love all the way back up."
"The last thing I wanted to do is to give up on love and give up on her," he added.
The couple's manager tells PEOPLE in a statement that the duo will "always be grateful for the love and experiences they shared together."
"While Francesca and Harry have ended their relationship, they will always be grateful for the love and experiences they shared together," the statement says. "They’ve grown immensely over the past two years and are deeply thankful for the outpouring of love and support they’ve received from all of you. They appreciate you and are looking forward to connecting with you as they enter their next chapter."
