Gorgeous then and now! Lauren Bushnell had quite the glow up since first appearing on Ben Higgins’ season of The Bachelor in 2016. Besides a stunning transformation, the former flight attendant has built herself a social media empire, travels the country with husband and country singer Chris Lane and is currently pregnant with baby No. 1.
The Oregon native stole the heart of Ben during season 20 when she was just 25, and the pair got engaged in Jamaica during the finale. The other finalists included JoJo Fletcher, who went on to be the Bachelorette during season 12, Caila Quinn and Amanda Stanton.
Ben was so head over heels, he even proposed *again* during After the Final Rose so both their families could be present. While they appeared to be a match made in Bachelor heaven, their spinoff series Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After? showed some serious cracks in their relationship as they navigated their life in Colorado together.
Fans watched Ben and Lauren work through their issues in couples counseling and even saw their decision to put their wedding plan on hold.
They announced their split in May 2017 after over a year together. At the time, they didn’t share any details behind their decision, but Lauren later admitted she didn’t “think it was the best idea” to do another show. Ben also acknowledged they had some growing pains trying to find their groove off-camera.
“When I first started dating Lauren, [we] started having a very serious relationship, and I was trying to share everything with her, and she was sharing everything with me. My reactions were so bad because it wasn’t what I expected or it wasn’t what I was used to,” Ben told Entertainment Tonight after their uncoupling. “I’m an only child, so I have routines and consistencies in my life that for anyone else in my life to come in change that — for me, I was holding on to way too close. So, I have to become less reactionary and I’m too sensitive … I doubt all the time in the back of my head.”
In February 2018, the Generous Coffee founder admitted he was still struggling with their breakup on Bachelor Winter Games, which led to him eliminating himself after it affected the “way [he] interacted with women.”
These days, Ben is happily engaged to fiancé Jessica Clarke. The former leading man exclusively told Life & Style he and the SweatNET founder will “definitely” do “couples’ counseling” at some point. “I just think it’s helpful, it’s healthy … It’s going to be good practice for us,” he explained.
As for Lauren, she and the “Hold You Tonight” singer got married in October 2019. “I think they’re the cutest couple and they’re literally perfect together,” Amanda Stanton exclusively gushed to Life & Style about the newlyweds in September while noting Lauren is much “more compatible” with the country crooner than ex Ben.
Everyone ended up where they were supposed to be, and Lauren has gotten even more gorgeous along the way. Keep scrolling to see her transformation through the years.