The 'Bachelorette' couple announced their breakup last week.
Dale Moss took to his Instagram Stories on Monday to address his split from Clare Crawley, after having "some time to process everything that's gone on."
"I know a lot of y'all have seen me smile on social media and say I don't seem as hurt or burdened by this, but that's the farthest thing [from the truth]," Dale said, thanking fans for their support and positive messages. "This time has sucked, and thank God that I have the friends and the family that I have, because they've literally had to carry me through the last two-plus weeks."
"Building a relationship in general is tough. Especially when you're doing it in the public eye," he continued. "Media will take things and run with them. People will spread lies or always want to point the finger, but the fact of the matter is, there's no one person to blame in this situation. Like every relationship, we've had our ups and downs and have gone through our things, but the statements that have come out didn't come out of nowhere."
Dale was the one to officially announce the couple's breakup on Instagram last week, writing, "I wanted to share with you all that Clare and I have decided to go our separate ways. We appreciate the love and support we've received from so many people, but this is the healthiest decision for both of us at this time... We only hope the best things for one another."
Clare broke her silence on the split a few days later, saying she was "crushed" and sounding blindsided by Dale's announcement. "I was made aware of a 'mutual' statement at the same time you all were, so I've needed some time to really digest this," she said at the time. "This was not what I expected or hoped for and am still trying to process this. Our relationship was not perfect, but I can say that I was genuinely invested with all of my heart."
"I love Clare and respect Clare enough to let her know how I feel, even if that's against the expectations of everybody else," Dale said on Monday. "It's gonna take time. I wanted nothing more than to make this relationship work, and I put my heart and soul into it each and every day. I wanted nothing more than to build a healthy relationship. While this is going to be difficult, what you'll see from me is trying to practice what I preach and continue to put my best foot forward each and every day. And while trying to find some sense of normalcy, I'm also going to continue to try and find joy and happiness in each day, and continue to share that. Everything else is in God's hands."
Fans of The Bachelorette saw Clare end her season early, falling for Dale roughly two weeks into filming. They got engaged on the Nov. 5 episode of the dating show -- the fastest engagement in franchise history -- and Tayshia Adams stepped in as the new Bachelorette.
After the news broke last week that the couple had called it quits, a source told ET that there was "zero truth" to rumors of infidelity, while another source said the breakup was, in part, because "this year specifically was tough to start a new relationship with everything going on in the world."
"Then throw in social media and all the attention the show brings, and it put a lot of pressure on their relationship," the source added. "There were things with how Clare acted about certain issues that Dale couldn’t accept anymore, the damage was unrepairable. It got to be an unhealthy environment, which was affecting both Dale and his family in a way that he didn’t like."
See more on the split in the video below.
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