The Bachelor's Clayton Echard and Susie Evans Announce Split: 'Not an Easy Time for Either of Us'
Craig Sjodin/abc
Clayton Echard is single again after the former Bachelor star announced his split from Susie Evans.
Sharing the breakup news in a joint Instagram statement on Friday, Echard and Evans began by saying: "With incredibly heavy hearts, we wanted to share that we have decided to go our separate ways. For anyone who has ever loved, knows this was a painful decision to make and not one taken lightly."
"We understand that there will likely be a lot of questions about this decision — social media is definitely a highlight reel and much of our experiences together we have kept private as I'm sure most can understand. But we will share this — although this last year together has brought us so much joy and so many laughs, there has also been a significant amount of pain," they continued. "We know no healthy relationship comes without its struggles, but we've realized that we were not prepared for the external forces that hindered our ability to not only heal as individuals but also as a couple."
The former couple said they are "focused on continuing to work on ourselves, so we can be the best version of ourselves" going forward.
"This is not an easy time for either of us but we stand in support of each other and hope to see the other go on to find happiness and healing," they explained. "Although Claysie is no more, we hope that our communities can support us individually as we move forward with love and respect for each other.
Concluding the post, the pair added: "Thank you to all of you that supported our relationship. It means so much more than you will ever know."
The decision to end their relationship comes after Echard and Evans announced they'd be pursuing a long-distance relationship — after living together for less than a year.
"We're like, 'We don't know if it's going to be a month-long [relationship] from here or if it's gonna be lifetime but, like, there's no pressure. Let's just love each other and be thankful,'" Echard said on an episode of Dear Media's Not Skinny but Not Fat podcast in August.
At the time, he added that he and Evans were "very, very happy right now and in a really great spot." He admitted to some of the hardships the couple faced in the public eye, specifically after backlash surrounding decisions he made on The Bachelor.
John Fleenor/ABC Clayton and Susie on The Bachelor
"But yeah, we went through it — together, though. Thankfully, she's been on my side and that's the only reason why I can sit here with so much positivity is because of her."
Echard and Evans, both 29, had an immediate connection when they met on The Bachelor. It wasn't all smooth sailing to the final rose, though, as Echard actually sent Evans home. The controversy came when Echard was intimate with multiple of his final women, and Evans was uncomfortable with the revelation.
During the finale episode, though, Echard decided not to give his final rose to either of his remaining two women, Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia. Instead, he went after Evans after realizing she was the woman with whom he wanted to end the season.
Though Evans initially said no to Echard, the pair revealed their relationship status on After the Final Rose.
"I didn't really think it was gonna happen," Clayton said of winning over Evans. "Especially after the way that we ended things. I just held on to hope. But when she gave me that closure, in that moment, I felt that it was the right thing to do. And thankfully, she reached back out and I just wanted one conversation at a time we just rebuilt that we could."
They moved in together shortly after. "We realized that what's most important is that we take this at our own pace and move in with each other right away," Clayton told PEOPLE. "That's the one thing, stepping away from my job, is now I have no roots, so I can plant them wherever I need to."
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In early April, a woman on TikTok claimed she was intimate with Echard while he was in a relationship with Evans. He slammed the rumors on Instagram.
"People that make these false accusations should be held accountable," he said. "Trying to gain clout by ruining a relationship is embarrassing and extremely immature."
Echard's first and second runner-ups, Windey and Recchia, have both moved on since he eliminated them from the competition. Together, the duo went on to co-lead season 19 of The Bachelorette.
Windey, 31, is currently engaged to frontrunner Erich Schwer. Though Recchia, 26, ended her engagement to Tino Franco, her runner-up Aven Jones asked to catch up with her during last week's live After the Final Rose special.
