Here's Why Katie Thurston And Blake Moynes Reportedly Broke Up
The pair concluded they are “not compatible as life partners.”
On Monday Aug. 9, Bachelor Nation’s Katie Thurston and Blake Moynes were brimming with joy on Jimmy Kimmel Live as they celebrated their new engagement. But on Tuesday Oct. 26, less than three months after Moynes proposed to Thurston during the Season 17 finale of The Bachelorette, the fan-favorite couple announced they are splitting up. Thurston and Moynes shared this development on Instagram, where they issued identical statements asking for privacy as they work through their breakup.
“It is with mutual love and respect that we have decided to go our separate ways,” the posts read. “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.” The posts continued, “Both of us will forever want the best for one another and ask you to please support us in our decision.”
Us Weekly reported on Tuesday Oct. 26 that the schism wasn’t for any “bad reason,” according to an unnamed source.
“They just couldn’t make the long-distance [relationship] work,” the source claimed.
Thurston and Moynes knew they’d be long-distance from the beginning, with Moynes based in Ontario, Canada and Thurston in Seattle (though she moved to San Diego during their engagement).
On top of that separation, however, Moynes also travels frequently for his independent wildlife advocacy work. He was most recently visiting the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, according to his Instagram. And while the same source told Us that Thurston is “super supportive of his work,” the long distance between them “was too difficult for her to deal with.”
In the days leading up to the announcement, Thurston had given hints that the breakup was impending. On the Friday before they made their breakup official, Us asked Thurston how she and Moynes were handling the long distance, to which she said she was just “winging it.”
“The short version is we’re figuring it out,” she told Us. “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.”
Though the relationship ended as quickly as it had begun, the source told Us that Thurston and Moynes had “definitely tried” to make it work.
“Katie really missed Blake once he left and they would get into little arguments, but at the end of the day, Katie wished he would be with her more,” they said. The source reiterated that Thurston has always loved Moynes’ commitment to his work in wildlife management, even if it made their relationship difficult. “That’s one of the reasons why she fell in love with him was because of how caring he is.”
Despite the broken engagement, another unnamed source claimed to Us on Oct. 26 that Thurston “won’t give up on love and still hopes to get married one day.” Hopefully, happier days are just around the corner.
