ABC
A fan-favorite couple from The Bachelorette took to Instagram Wednesday night to announce their split.
Former lead Ashley Hebert Rosenbaum (then Ashley Hebert) and her season 7 winner, J.P. Rosenbaum, posted matching photos announcing their split after nearly eight years of marriage.
Hebert Rosenbaum wrote,
“It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that, after months of separation, Jp and I have amicably decided to go our separate ways.
We created the most beautiful children and shared memories that will never be forgotten. Our differences have taken a toll on our relationship and after years of attempting to repair the damage, we’ve decided that it is in our family’s best interest to create new and separate lives for our children.
Please respect our privacy as we move forward with the newness of our lives.
Our ultimate focus is to create stable and healthy lives for our children.Thank you for your love and support throughout the years. Wishing you all love, happiness, and good health. ❤️”
Rosenbaum shared a similar sentiment, writing in part, “While I realize that this will come as a complete shock to everyone, I can assure you that this is something that has been developing in our relationship for quite a while.”
Here’s what you need to know:
They Met and Fell in Love on Television
Hebert Rosenbaum had her hand at giving out roses for season 7 of The Bachelorette after being sent home by Brad Womack during season 15 of The Bachelor. She handed out her final rose to Rosenbaum after he proposed on the beach in Fiji.
In December 2012, The Bachelorette: Ashley and J.P.’s Wedding showed the couple married in a televised ceremony officiated by Bachelor Nation host Chris Harrison. They revealed they renewed their vows during an August 2018 trip to Aruba.
In July, they appeared on Brad Womack’s episode of The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons – Ever! for an update. When asked by Harrison how quickly he knew there was a connection, Rosenbaum described their first one-on-one date. He said, “It was a typical date we would have at home any Saturday night in pajamas and I think that night I was like, ‘What just happened?’ I knew there was something.”
After Harrison described their romance as a fairytale, they both nodded their heads and Rosenbaum replied, “It really is!”
They Share Two Children
100% excited that we’re #ClearblueConfirmed w/ baby #2, my face says I’m 78% nervous b/c #ItsAGirl #ClearbluePartner
The former couple shares two children.
In an exclusive announcement to InTouch magazine, they announced that they were expecting their first child. The former Bachelorette, who showed off her baby bump on the cover, said “I’m a little nervous, but we’re very excited.” She added, “I’ve wanted a child for a while.”
Their son, Fordham Rhys, was born in October 2014.
On May 23, 2016, Rosenbaum tweeted that they were expecting their second child, writing, “100% excited that we’re #ClearblueConfirmed w/ baby #2, my face says I’m 78% nervous b/c #ItsAGirl #ClearbluePartner.” They welcomed daughter Essex Reese in November of that year.
The Bachelor Nation stars both expressed a desire to maintain privacy and focus on their children. Rosenbaum wrote in his statement, “Our ultimate focus is to co-parent our kids to the best of our ability and to maintain stable and healthy lives for Fordy & Essie.”
Rosenbaum Was Diagnosed With Guillain-Barré Syndrome
When Rosenbaum told Hebert Rosenbaum “My hands feel a little weird,” she initially did not believe it was serious. However, he soon was not able to pick up pizza, put on socks, get dressed, open the bathroom door and even had difficulty walking.
What they discovered, as announced in December 2019 through Instagram Stories, was that Rosenbaum had Guillain-Barré syndrome.
“Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare, autoimmune disorder in which a person’s own immune system damages the nerves, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I can’t hug my kids, pick up my kids, do anything for my kids. I don’t want my kids to see me like this,” Rosenbaum told Good Morning America’s Adrienne Bankert in an exclusive interview. Yet, he admitted to falling multiple times on the ground and being unable to move in front of his son.
Bankert asked the couple about living out the “in sickness and in health” part of marriage vows.
“It’s never that obvious until you’re in sickness and you realize what the potential, like, catastrophic effect it can have on a relationship, a family,” said Rosenbaum, before his wife added, “on the individual.”
Since it was caught early, he was able to use medication and physical therapy for his recovery. When appearing in July on The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons – Ever!, Harrison told them, “JP, I’m so glad you’re back to 100%.”
The Couple Appeared on ‘Marriage Boot Camp’
The former cast members of The Bachelorette appeared on another reality show, starring in season 7 of Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars.
“Hebert and Rosenbaum tackled a series of topics during their stint on the series, including their sex life, the pressure of being in the public eye and balancing parenthood and their relationship,” according to US Weekly.
When speaking with TooFab, Rosenbaum described the experience as “good way for us to just get back to us the way we were before kids.”
“That’s one of the things we learned about our relationship is that It’s pretty good,” said Hebert Rosenbaum about comparisons to other relationships in the same interview.
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