Clare Explains Why You Shouldn't Believe The Rumor About Her "Engagement Ring"
When a pic of Clare Crawley wearing some bling on *that* finger hit the Internet on Oct. 19 — well, Bachelor Nation obviously had questions. There's already been some wild theories circulating about the possibility that Crawley is engaged to Dale Moss, so needless to say, this photo only fueled the fire. But before you get too excited, you'll definitely want to scope out Clare Crawley's Instagram about her diamond ring, in which she attempts to address the rumors head-on.
If you're just playing catch up, here's a little background. Back in July, Life & Style claimed that after just 12 days of filming, Crawley refused to continue participating because she'd “already fallen in love” with contestant Dale Moss. A source also reportedly told People back in August that "one of her potential guys" got in touch with her before the season began, and they were "basically already in love" by the time filming started. After meeting Moss for the first time on the Oct. 13 premiere of The Bachelorette, Crawley flat out said, "I definitely feel like I just met my husband." Naturally, Moss got her first impression rose, and while it's still unclear who gets the final one, she told Entertainment Tonight on the day of the premiere that she's currently "very happy." So, when Page Six revealed a photo of Crawley casually strolling around her hometown of Sacramento, California, wearing what appears to be a diamond ring — fans naturally began wondering whether it was from Moss.
The same day that photo was published, Clare decided to tackle the rumors head-on via social media. She wrote in an Instagram post:
People have noticed I wear this ring on my wedding finger and have asked why! The truth is because it is a commitment to myself first and foremost, to embody self-love. In the past I found myself getting into relationships where there was little to no reciprocity, and in the end, would feel depleted and empty. This is my promise to myself, to make sure I always had enough self-love that no matter what happened, I was committed to loving myself unconditionally, and that is something no man could take away from me.
This isn't the first time she's talked about this ring, either. During an October interview on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, Crawley told Rachel Lindsay and Becca Kufrin that she bought herself the ring a while ago and specifically chose to wear it on her ring finger to signify self-love.
"I wanted to get something for myself that I never have to give back to anybody, that nobody can ever take away from me, that will always be mine and that comes first over anything," she explained in the interview. "So self-love and you know what? I will never ask anything of a man that I can’t get for myself.”
Eagle-eyed fans might notice that in the close-up on Page Six's photo, the ring Crawley's wearing appears to have a thicker band (or multiple bands) with one large center stone, whereas the ring in her Instagram post has a more slender band with a row of smaller stones. Sus? Kinda. I'll let you mull that one over for a while.
Regardless of whether or not they're two different rings, there's something really inspiring about the story and meaning behind Crawley's self-love token. Essentially, it's a reminder that she doesn't need someone else to put a ring on it in order to be happy or fulfilled — because she can provide herself with anything and everything she needs. And with an attitude like that, it's safe to say she's primed to live happily ever after — no matter how this season of The Bachelorette ends.
