In speaking about his recent break-up from Lauren Bushnell, Ben Higgins went ahead this week and channeled his inner Boyz II Men.
Despite constant chatter over the state of his relationship with his chosen suitor, the ex-Bachelor said on a podcast Wednesday that it’s so very hard to say goodbye to yesterday.
In a clip from the podcast obtained by People Magazine, Higgins delved into the end of his romance with Bushnell and explained that both sides simply knew it was time to call it quits.
“Just to be as politically correct as possible but to also be as truthful as possible, Lauren will always be one of my best friends,” said Higgins.
He continued:
“It’s tough.
“It’s hard to say goodbye to somebody that you spent so much time with and it’s hard to say goodbye to somebody that you really did believe was the one for you.”
Just how strongly did Higgins believe Bushnell was the one for him?
He called off the couple’s relationship engagement during an episode of their Freeform reality show last summer.
Higgins made Bushnell cry at the time, but insisted he was still dedicated to her in the long run.
But this is no longer the case.
“I’m sad. I’m a little confused, a little lost, but I’m doing alright,” Higgins told fellow Bachelor alumnus Ashley Iaconetti on the podcast.
Throughout the past few months, the couple had been plagued by breakup rumors.
Where did it all go wrong for Bushnell and Higgins? Why did the end finally arrive?
Bushnell moved to Denver to be with Higgins and many insiders have said she lost her identity in doing so.
She doesn’t really have a job and hasn’t had a direction in life since uprooting everything for her now-ex-fiance.
“I know that they have struggled with the show and then kind of continuing on and doing their reality show and kind of where the show stopped and then where life began,” Chris Harrison told People in his remarks about the split.
Our favorite host human being added:
“They were fighting through a bunch of stuff. But I don’t know. I’ll reach out to them. I’m very sorry to hear that because I do care about them very much.”
What does Higgins have to say about the past several weeks?
“I think, mutually, Lauren and I saw that life was getting more difficult,” he tried to explain on the podcast, expounding as follows:
“I would say the joy that we felt toward our relationship at the beginning was – for some reason – slipping away, and we were both working very hard to bring that joy back.
“And it just never seemed to get there. So it was a long time coming, but it wasn’t necessarily like we dragged it out.”
Here is what Higgins and Bushnell said in a joint statement upon confirming their split:
It is with heavy hearts that we announce our decision to go our separate ways.
We feel fortunate for all the time that we had together, and we will remain friends with much love and respect for one another.
We wish nothing but the best for each other, and ask for your support and understanding at this time.
In conclusion, however, Higgins sees a positive future for both himself and his former lover.
“I believe that Lauren and I both will come out of this with a whole new season that is going to be very good for the both of us,” he said on the podcast.