Getty Desiree Hartsock, DeAnna Pappas, Ashley Hebert, and Trista Sutter pose at an event.
A former “Bachelorette” lead just revealed surprising news regarding her marriage. DeAnna Pappas did not find her husband in front of reality television cameras, but her marriage did come via “Bachelor Nation” connections. Now, however, the relationship has changed, and the couple has officially separated.
Pappas was first looking for love while a part of the cast of Brad Womack’s first season as “The Bachelor,” which aired in 2007. After Womack chose not to give anybody his final rose, Pappas was chosen to become the season 4 “Bachelorette,” and she ended her journey engaged to Jesse Csincsak. The pair’s engagement did not last long, though. Eventually, Pappas fell in love with Stephen Stagliano. He had not been a contestant on a “Bachelor Nation” show himself. However, he was not exactly a stranger to franchise fans either. His identical twin brother, Michael Stagliano, became a fan favorite during Jillian Harris’ season of “The Bachelorette.” Pappas and Stephen met via Michael, and as Us Weekly noted, the pair got married in October 2011. Now, however, they have revealed their fairy tale has seemingly ended.
DeAnna Pappas & Stephen Stagliano Have Separated
On January 19, Pappas shared a statement regarding her marriage on her Instagram page. “It is with immense sadness, Stephen & I have decided to end our relationship as a couple,” the former “Bachelorette” revealed. “We have been working hard for a long time-both as a married couple & as individuals-& have come to the conclusion to remain separate,” she added.
Pappas noted they would “remain loving parents to our beautiful children, Addison & Austin, & will continue to raise them together with love & faith.” She asked people to respect their privacy during this time of transition and thanked those close to them for “your endless support & many, many prayers during what has become the most difficult time of our lives.” Stephen has an Instagram page, but he rarely posts on it. As of this writing, he has not shared anything regarding the separation.
The Former ‘Bachelorette’ Quickly Received Immense Support
Pappas’ Instagram post was flooded with support from “Bachelor Nation.” Within a few hours, thousands of people “liked” the post to show their support, and hundreds added comments too.
“Love you,” the “OG” lead of “The Bachelorette” franchise, Trista Sutter, commented.
“Love you both and here for you in every way possible. Sending love to your family,” added Ashley Hebert, who went through her own split from her former “Bachelorette” husband, J.P. Rosenbaum, in 2020.
“Sending love and prayers for the whole family,” wrote Holly Julian, who is another former “Bachelor Nation” contestant. She had dated Michael for some time before meeting her husband Blake Julian on “Bachelor Pad.”
Other entertainers from “Bachelor Nation” like Bob Guiney, Courtney Robinson, Ashley Spivey, and Kaitlyn Bristowe shared similarly supportive comments as well. Fans, both on Instagram and on Reddit, expressed their shock over the news.
“I saw speculation a while back but I didn’t wanna believe it. I’m sure it’s the best decision for them but still brutal to hear,” shared one Redditor.
“I don’t follow them on social media but this one is surprising to me. Again, no one knows what goes on behind closed doors. I think maybe similarly to Ashley and JP, couples sometimes just grow apart. I wish them all the best,” added another.
“This actually shocks me. I don’t follow either closely but they seemed like a fairly normal down to earth couple. I wonder what was the straw that broke the camels back,” questioned someone else.
“I was blown away when I saw this. I never expected it from them. It’s too bad :(,” commented a different Redditor.