Learning to move on. After Katie Thurston and Blake Moynes announced they called it quits less than three months after their Bachelorette engagement aired, the former couple have been candid about navigating their newfound single status.
“It is with mutual love and respect that we have decided to go our separate ways,” the Washington native shared via Instagram in October 2021. “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. 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.”
Thurston, who initially fell in love with the wildlife manager during The Bachelorette season 17, told Us Weekly days before their split that she was “totally winging” life while the pair navigated long distances.
“We’re figuring it out,” the former ABC personality admitted to Us while backstage at Whitney Cummings’ Touch Me Tour in October 2021, in which she served as the opening act. “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 season 17 finale aired in August 2021, the former bank marketing manager relocated from her hometown in Washington to San Diego, California. Moynes, for his part, remained in Canada as the pair traveled back and forth to visit one another.
“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,” Thurston, explained during a series of Instagram Story videos in August 2021. “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.”
Since their split, the Bachelor season 25 alum has been vocal about moving on and pursuing love in the future. In November 2021, a source exclusively revealed to Us that the former Bachelorette has “gotten clarity” after their breakup, now knowing “what she wants in a husband.”
“Katie’s really an open and honest person. She knows what she wants,” an insider exclusively told Us the following month. “I’m sure she won’t have trouble moving on — she’s been through heartbreak before.”
The Canada native, for his part, has thrown himself back into his work as a wildlife manager and focused on his passion for animals to stay busy.
“In today’s world it’s easy to get sucked into all the negativity and your mind can sometimes be your worst enemy,” the Bachelorette season 16 alum explained in a November 2021 Instagram video. “To get back into a positive headspace, I rely on passion. I channel that passion to do good. When you do good, you feel good.”
Keep scrolling to read everything the former Bachelor Nation couple have said about their split and moving on: