Bachelor in Paradise stars Chris Bukowski and Katie Morton are officially over!
Bukowski and Morton, one of three couples to get engaged on the show in Mexico this summer, announced the news of their split on Tuesday on Instagram with a joint statement.
“One of the many lessons this life has taught us is that it’s okay to be stubborn in the pursuit of happiness. To fight for what is real and good, and that often times the hardest thing and the right thing are the same,” the statement said. “We’ve reached a point in our story where we agree it’s best to go our separate ways. We have chosen to love and respect each other as friends because that’s the base of our relationship, and it’s what is most natural for us.”
“We are incredibly thankful for the support we’ve received from our family, friends and everyone who supported us throughout our journey — from paradise to this moment,” the statement continued. “We are grateful for everything that we’ve learned in this chapter, and are hopeful for what is to come in life and in love for both of us.”
The couple did not keep secret about the relationship struggles they faced on the beach and back home in the weeks that followed the show. On the season finale of Bachelor in Paradise, Morton appeared on-screen without her engagement ring and confessed to host Chris Harrison and fans that the couple has been facing some issues since leaving Mexico.
“I just put in so much effort every day and I love him so much, but I put in so much that my tank empties and if I’m not getting it filled, I break down,” she expressed. “I fell in love with potential that may never come to fruition, but I’m just praying it does.”
She went on to explain that she felt “conflicted,” and that she and Budowski are taking things “day by day.”
Following the reunion, Morton told PEOPLETV’s Reality Check that she needed to be honest.
“It had been really hard for us to communicate our differences and what each other needed, especially being kind of stranded and in hiding while separated,” she revealed. “Chris Harrison asked me a lot of questions, even prior to what you guys saw, and so the emotions were like, building up.”
At the time, Morton said that the couple managed to get back on track.
“Since then, it’s been so great,” the Bachelor in Paradise star said. “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 hang out.”
Budoski added: “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. It made it tough, but at the end of the day, I actually think it made us better and stronger. 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.”
Other Bachelor in Paradise couples who have ended their relationships includes Demi Burnett and Kristian Haggerty, Tayshia Adams and John Paul Jones, and Whitney Fransway and Connor Saeli.
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