Bachelor Nation saw it coming? Katie Thurston confirmed she and Blake Moynes split, ending their engagement just as the signs things were over for the Bachelorette couple were starting to add up.
After her stint on Matt James’ season of The Bachelor, ABC named the 30-year-old Washington native the season 17 lead. Moynes, 31, for his part, competed for Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams on season 16 of The Bachelorette in 2020 before crashing the 2021 season.
Us Weekly broke the news in April that Thurston’s journey wrapped early. When the show aired during the summer, fans watched her get engaged to Moynes after two of her top four — Greg Grippo and Michael Allio — quit the show.
Following the August finale, Thurston admitted exclusively to Us that she wasn’t sure whether she and Moynes would still be together if he didn’t propose.
“You go through so much and you want to take this very seriously — and a proposal and engagement is very serious. I didn’t come here to find a boyfriend. I can do that on a dating app,” she said at the time. “It’s hard to say if we would have survived just as a dating couple, but the fact that we’re both committed to each other as future husband and wife, it just says a lot about our confidence in our relationship.”
As the twosome began to date post-show, it was clear they weren’t in a rush to walk down the aisle. They also opted not to live in together as Moynes traveled to Africa for work and Thurston moved to San Diego.
“We need to see each other’s lifestyles and our passions, our interests, and then try to see where our anchor spot will be, where all those things can kind of align and make sense for both of us,” Moynes told Us in August. “We’re going to jump around for a bit and experience what works best for us.”
Less than three months later, however, she announced they called off their engagement.
“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,” she wrote on Monday, October 25, via Instagram. “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.”
Scroll through for the signs that a split was coming: