The two met on Higgins' season of 'The Bachelor,' which premiered in January 2016
Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell have split after getting engaged on The Bachelor last year.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce our decision to go our separate ways,” the two said in a joint statement to People. “We feel fortunate for the time we had together, and will remain friends with much love and respect for one another. We wish nothing but the best for each other, and ask for your support and understanding at this time.”
Higgins, 29, first met Bushnell, 27, on his season of The Bachelor, which premiered on ABC in January 2016, and ultimately proposed to her with the final rose on the show's finale last March.
The two have not posted about one another on social media in weeks. Bushnell last shared a pic of Higgins on Easter Sunday, April 16, while Higgins posted a photo of them on May 4.
The two recently hosted Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings, which premiered on May 7, and when speaking to ET ahead of the special, they didn't seem in a hurry to get married. "Our life is pretty crazy, and we're having a blast being engaged and enjoying that time without having the stresses of planning a wedding on top of it," Higgins noted.
"We have been together for a year and a half now, so I don't think we're pushing it too far yet," Bushnell chimed in, adding that ET would be the "first to know" about their wedding plans, once they got to "that three-year mark."
Higgins and Bushnell also sparked rumors that their relationship was on the rocks when their reality show, Happily Ever After?, which aired on Freeform last fall. “That’s one of the things that’s great about doing a show post-Bachelor, it really does highlight the confusion that life is and trying to get to know each other post-show, and trying to figure out how to get married and make everything work in everybody’s best interest,” Higgins told ET in November. “We are together, happier than ever -- no plans to break up!”
Prior to their announcing their split, Higgins and Bushnell also made a guest appearance on Freeform's drama series, Famous in Love.
ET has reached out to ABC and the former couple about their split.
