What Happened Between Derek Peth & Taylor Nolan? Inside the ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Couple’s Split
If you tuned in to Monday night’s Season 6 premiere of Bachelor in Paradise, you probably noticed that Derek Peth is back on the beach looking for love. But the last time we saw Derek, it was during Season 4 of Paradise and he was getting engaged to Taylor Nolan.
So, what happened here? Why did Derek and Taylor break up? Let’s dig up the details.
The proposal
Derek proposed to Taylor during the reunion special of Bachelor in Paradise back in 2017. In front of a room filled with screaming fans, cast members, and yes, Chris Harrison, he got down on one knee and gave an emotional speech to his bride-to-be.
“I choose to love you this minute, this hour, this day, and every day from here on out. Taylor Katherine Nolan, will you make me the happiest man on this planet? Will you marry me?” he asked.
Needless to say, Taylor tearfully accepted.
The plans
After the engagement, Derek and Taylor spoke candidly about their future in many interviews. Derek had just landed a banking job in New York, so the plan was to move to the Big Apple, start wedding planning (they were “open” to a televised wedding), and later on, start having kids.
But that never happened. Turns out, Derek’s job in New York might’ve been what triggered the split in the first place.
What went wrong?
In June 2018, the couple released a joint statement to E! which read, “It is with much sadness that we have decided to end our engagement. We put everything we could into our relationship and are heartbroken to go forward separately, but we know this is the best decision for the both of us. We will still be present in each other’s lives with support, admiration and respect for each other.”
Derek spoke out about the “very stressful” ending of his relationship with Taylor during an interview on The Morning Toast. When asked if Taylor was the one who got away, Derek laughed, “No, she’s not.”
Ultimately, Derek credited distance as the main factor for their split.
“I think that she didn’t want to leave Seattle and she wanted to like travel here and travel there and take advantage of some of this [Bachelor Nation] stuff … And I got my job [in New York City], I have my normal week.”
Where do they stand today?
Today, the exes seem to be fairly amicable. Taylor spoke out on an episode of her podcast, Let’s Talk About It, and revealed that she was “curious” to watch Derek search for love on TV, but ultimately was unsure if that was a smart choice.
“It’s watching someone that I was in deep relation with and tried really hard with and didn’t work out,” she said. “I’m going to be filled with so many thoughts and feelings if I watch. That part of me doesn’t want to be fully consumed by that. So, I feel like I shouldn’t.”
Taylor also took to her Instagram page Monday night to reveal that she’s “thankful” for the memories and relationships she made while filming Paradise in 2017. Though she didn’t name Derek specifically, she added, “I wish everyone on this season the best of luck in their journey to find love.”
Oddly enough, while Derek searches for love in Paradise, Taylor has found herself in yet another long distance relationship. Back in September, she met her “incredibly supportive” boyfriend Frazer Nagy at an entrepreneur event in Ontario, and the two have been spending time together ever since. Though Frazer lives in Canada and Taylor still resides in Seattle, distance is once again an issue.
“Long distance in our relationship has caused us to have serious conversations about things like finances, and how we maintain an equal partnership,” she told Us Weekly.
Bachelor in Paradise, Mondays and Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC
