Kaitlyn Bristowe & Jason Tartick Answer BURNING Questions
Kaitlyn Bristowe's journey to find love continues.
The former Bachelorette star and fiancé Jason Tartick have called it quits, he shared on Aug. 6.
"After sharing the news with family and close friends first, and taking the time to properly process it ourselves, we are saddened with heavy hearts to share that we have decided to end our engagement," he wrote, in part, in an Instagram post. "We are thankful for all of you who gave us the time and space to process this life altering decision as there are many emotions and changes to navigate."
Noting that their "friendship is incredibly important to both of us," Jason added, "We feel grateful to be ending our engagement with love and respect for each other."
"It's heartbreaking and sad to say goodbye," he continued, "but our care and admiration for one another will never die."
This relationship update comes two years after the pair announced their engagement and four years after they went public with their romance.
Though Kaitlyn, 38, and Jason, 34, are both members of Bachelor Nation—she first appeared on Chris Soules' 2015 season of The Bachelor, followed by her own season of The Bachelorette later that year, while Jason starred on Becca Kufrin's 2018 season of ABC dating show—the pair didn't meet on TV.
photosBachelor & Bachelorette Status Check: Find Out Who's Still Together
In fact, their first encounter was on Kaitlyn's Off the Vine podcast in Jan. 2019, a few months after she called off her engagement to Shawn Booth and Jason's time on the Bachelorette came to an end.
"We were friends," Jason recalled on Today that same month, "a little banter here and there, and then friendship turned into a relationship."
For Kaitlyn, the feeling was definitely mutual. "His energy is electric," she shared on her podcast at the time. "That's the kind of vibe I get from him, that you've just known him for a long time. That's the vibe I got from him from the get-go."
Trending Stories
1
Jennie Garth Briefly Addresses Dan Schneider & Costar Amanda Bynes
2
Travis Kelce Reveals His Not-So-Cruel Summer Plans With Taylor Swift
3
Why Paris Hilton and Carter Reum Don't Share Photos of Daughter London
In May 2019, the duo announced their decision to move in together after dating long-distance—he was based out of Seattle—for a few months.
"Kaitlyn and I got to a point where being across the entire country didn't make sense," Jason shared on her podcast. "I think that for the short term and the long term, Nashville was the best place for us to be. It puts us back on the east coast. I'll be a few hour-drive from my parents, quick drive from my brother, and, it puts us in a better position for short and long-term."
Getty Images/ instagram
Two years later, the former corporate banker got down on one knee. And it's safe to say their engagement was a dream. As Kaitlyn simply put it at the time, "Don't pinch me."
In recent months, however, the pair had become the subject of split speculation, with fans noticing they'd been spending time apart and that Kaitlyn's engagement ring appeared to missing from that finger.
But at the time, they weren't going to let the rumors get them down, with Jason explaining how he and Kaitlyn balance privacy and being in the public eye.
"Whether it's professional world, personal world, financial, whatever world it is that you're dealing with," he exclusively told E! News in July, "it's about expectation setting and communication."
"You can't live a life constantly worrying about what the repercussions are about what you say," Jason continued, adding, "At the end of the day, you know who you are, you're confident in who you are, you're growing into who you are. And if people are going to judge you for that, then they judge you for that."
Relive Kaitlyn and Jason's four-year romance, in their own words, below…
