'The Bachelorette's Clare Crawley Was Actually Engaged Once Before

ABC has chosen the next star of The Bachelorette! Clare Crawley's relationship history is filled with plenty of stints on the franchise, so she's more than prepared to find love on-screen — and this time, the spotlight will be on her. Previously, the hairstylist from Sacramento, California was the runner-up during Season 18 of The Bachelor, which starred the controversial lead Juan Pablo Galavis in 2014. She later joined Seasons 1 and 2 of Bachelor in Paradise and Season 1 of The Bachelor: Winter Games.

Crawley was engaged to Benoît Beauséjour-Savard, a contestant from Canada's Bachelorette whom she met during 2018's The Bachelor: Winter Games. But their path to a proposal wasn't straightforward (some hot tub drama briefly kept them apart), and they didn't stay together for long. After they first connected on the show, Crawley began to crush on contestant Christian Rauch, who had previously been on the German and Swiss editions of the show. They canoodled in a Jacuzzi, and Beauséjor-Savard realized his chances at love might be slipping away. He told Crawley he'd leave the show unless she was all in with him. She couldn't return his feelings at that point, so he left the show.

But ultimately, she didn't find love with Rauch, and she connected with Beauséjour-Savard over text after filming for Winter Games ended. Their relationship flourished quickly, and he proposed to her during After the Final Rose in February 2018.

By April 2018, however, the couple parted ways. "It's with a heavy heart that we have mutually decided to end our relationship," they wrote in a shared statement on Instagram. "We think the world of each other, and we were hoping we could make this work. I'm sorry that this may not be what you want to hear, but it's our truth. Just know there are no negative feelings here, we are simply two people who believed in love, and were open enough to give it a chance."

Crawley hasn't spoken publicly about another romance since then, but she did open up to Good Morning America about what she's seeking in this new phase of her love life. "I want a man who is willing to take off the body armor, open himself up, and be vulnerable," she said. "I think that is some serious strength right there, and I want a man who can do that."

She also acknowledged the potential age gap between herself and her new suitors. (At 38, she is the oldest Bachelorette on the franchise; Bachelor Season 6 star Byron Velvick was 40 during his stint on the show.) “I have been known to date younger guys, so that’s not a problem for me," she said. "The thing is, I wonder if they’re ready for me, for my age, so I feel like that would be more of an issue than for me with them."

Crawley's season will premiere during spring 2020.