Making progress. After Katie Thurston and Blake Moynes announced their decision to part ways, a source exclusively tells Us Weekly that the former Bachelorette has “gotten clarity” and now “knows what she wants in a husband.”
According to an insider, Thurston, 30, is still “trying to get through the breakup,” which made headlines on October 25.
“She’s been spending time with close friends who have been cheering her up. She just needs a lot of love and support right now,” the source notes. “She’s a strong person and will get through this.”
The former bank marketing manager originally fell in love with Moynes, 31, during season 17 of The Bachelorette, which ended with the duo getting engaged. After the August finale, Thurston gushed about how she walked away from the ABC reality series with her first choice.
“I think everyone can agree that this is exactly who I was supposed to be with,” she said during the After the Final Rose special. “He fought to be here for me and chose to stay even when I’m telling him to his face that I considered leaving. That he was confident enough to hold both of us till the end, I’m just so lucky. I love him so much.”
After their journey on reality television, the couple focused on getting to know each other more while figuring out a long-distance relationship. Days before announcing their split, Thurston explained how they were dealing with so much time spent apart.
“The short version is we’re figuring it out,” the Washington native told Us late last month. “We don’t know. This is very new to us still. I’m just focusing on myself. He’s focusing on him, and if we work doing that, great.”
Shortly after, the twosome confirmed that they had called it quits.
“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,” Thurston and Moynes captioned their individual posts via Instagram in October. “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.”
Although Thurston has gotten messages from guys interested in her, the source says that “she’s not rushing to jump into another relationship right away.”
“She’s still hopeful on finding love but wants to make sure her head is in the right space,” the insider adds. “Right now, she’s just figuring out what she wants to do in life. In her mind, her future was with Blake, so now she just has to start fresh and figure out her next steps.”
With reporting by Diana Cooper