Katie Thurston & ‘Bachelorette’ Fiancé Blake Moynes Announce Their Split

Blake Moynes & Katie Thurston, 'The Bachelorette' Season 17, Announced Their Breakup
ABC/Randy Holmes

Just under three months after Katie Thurston said “yes” to fiancé Blake Moynes’ proposal on The Bachelorette Season 17 finale, the couple has called it quits. Both took to social media to announce the mutual split.

“It is with mutual love and respect that we have decided to go our separate ways. We are so grateful for the moments we shared together and the entire journey that has unfolded this year, but we ultimately have concluded that we are not compatible as life partners, and it is the most caring choice for both of us to move forward independently,” they captioned matching Instagram posts of the two during happier times.

“We ask for kindness and privacy as we both navigate this transition. Both of us will forever want the best for one another and ask you to please support us in our decision.”

 

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A post shared by Katie Thurston (@thekatiethurston)

Even before filming on Season 17 began, Katie and Blake had been in touch over social media. Not a part of the original lineup of men, Blake joined the house in Episode 4 after expressing his interest in the new Bachelorette to co-host Tayisha Adams. Their bond grew strong enough that Katie knew he was the one after a night in the Fantasy Suites.

Not long after the finale aired, Thurston opened up about the struggles of maintaining a long-distance relationship in a now-expired Instagram story. “I don’t think people fully understand what it’s like to date someone from another country and the rules behind that and the visas behind that,” she stated. “I think right now, Blake can only be here for 60 days before having to go back to Canada, so we really do have a lot we have to look into — and we just haven’t yet — before we can plan really anything else.”

She went on to ask her followers for advice on long-distance relationships, saying, “But I am curious, if you are dating somebody from another country — whether Canadian to U.S., U.S. to Canadian — I would love to know your experiences with that, in terms of all that fun legal stuff that we are holding off on.”

Whether or not long-distance is to blame for their split, this is the latest in a long line of Bachelor Nation pairs to meet its end.

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