DWTS Champ Explains Surprising Reason Behind Split

Broken heart.

Pixabay A DWTS champ ended her engagement.

It’s over for “Dancing With the Stars” champ Kaitlyn Bristowe and her fiance, Jason Tartick. The couple, who got engaged in 2021, have decided to go their separate ways.

While some fans may have been expecting the announcement thanks to the couple’s social media activity over recent months, others were really rooting for them to work out. On the August 15, 2023, episode of her “Off the Vine” podcast, Bristowe explained why her engagement didn’t work out.

“I’ve never respected someone more through a breakup than I do with Jason. I think people assume if people break up, something bad happened. And I think that’s the hardest part of this whole breakup — nothing bad happened. It’s just been over time. We have both not made each other a priority,” Bristowe said.

Here’s what you need to know:


Kaitlyn Bristowe Wants Fans to ‘Root’ for Both Her & Jason Tartick

Bristowe is hoping that fans of her and Tartick together will continue to support both of them now that they are apart.

“You don’t have to choose sides — root for us both to be happy and grow and learn. It’s sad. We are both so sad. You know, you think you’re gonna spend your life with somebody,” she said, adding, “we’re grieving a loss.”

Her podcast comments come about a week after she and Tartick announced their split in a joint Instagram post.

“After sharing the news with family and close friends first, and taking the time to properly process it ourselves, we are saddened with heavy hearts to share that we have decided to end our engagement,” their statement read.

Both Bristowe and Tartick have asked for fans to keep them both in their thoughts.

“If everyone can say some sort of prayer for both of our hearts we would love that,” Bristowe wrote on her Instagram Stories on August 6, 2023.

“Please be kind as we go through our individual journeys to heal,” Tartick wrote on his own Instagram Stories.


Kaitlyn Bristowe May Be Leaving the Door Open for Reconciliation

While Bristowe and Tartick have chosen to go their separate ways for now, Bristowe said that there may be a time where they find their way back to one another.

“Maybe in six months from now, we go, ‘Yeah, this was the right move.’ And maybe in six months, we go, ‘You know what, I want to choose you.’ But we haven’t been choosing each other,” the former “Bachelorette” star said on her podcast.

“I do need to choose myself. And I want him to choose himself. The right person is going to choose each other — you’re gonna prioritize each other, and we just haven’t been,” she added.

Bristowe took a short break from social media, but started posting again on August 17, 2023. In that post, she included a photo of herself crying.

“Not to spoil the ending for you. But you’re going to be ok,” she captioned the upload. Additionally, she has removed nearly all photos and videos of memories that she shared with Tartick from her Instagram feed.

For the time being, both Bristowe and Tartick are staying in Nashville, Tennessee, and are sharing custody of their two dogs, Ramen and Pinot.

READ NEXT: Jenna Johnson & Val Chmerkovskiy’s Son Marks Huge Milestone