Well, this is thorny. And honestly a little embarrassing. Former Bachelorette lead Clare Crawley and her season’s winner, Dale Moss, have ended their engagement after a whirlwind few months together. Following a day of reports from media outlets that claimed their relationship’s demise was imminent, Moss posted a statement on Instagram to confirm the rumors. “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,†he wrote. “We strongly believe in leading with love and always remaining true to oneself, something our families have taught and instilled in us throughout our lives. We only hope the best things for one another.†As of publishing time, Crawley has not addressed the split.
While Moss didn’t go into further detail about the reasons behind their broken engagement, recent reports alleged that issues emerged for the couple when Crawley refused to relocate from her current home in Sacramento — due to her ailing mother and hair-salon business — as well as because of her desire to quickly have children. Moss, meanwhile, is reportedly comfortable living in New York City as a quintessential model-influencer and didn’t want to rush into becoming a parent. (Who could possibly forget his contract with Party City?) Most recently, Crawley captioned a post on her Instagram page, “today I couldn’t hide my hard day.â€
Crawley became The Bachelorette’s enfant terrible after her season was preemptively cut short over the summer owing to the leading lady declaring early on that she wasn’t interested in any other contestant besides Moss — an unprecedented (and, frankly, ballsy) move to find love. In the season’s fourth episode, Crawley told Moss that she was in love with him and nobody else, and he subsequently proposed to her. In the proposal’s aftermath, Crawley had to insist repeatedly that the duo had no communication prior to the season, although she did admit that she fell in love with Moss over social media during the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic. Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark, the most recent Bachelorette couple that ended up together after Crawley’s departure, are still engaged and very cute.
Update, January 20: “Page Six†sent a videographer to hound Dale Moss about the breakup on the streets of Manhattan, and he seemed a little too happy about not being with Clare Crawley any longer. When asked if he and Crawley are on good terms, Moss said that they “will be cool†as time passes. “Obviously, it’s not the greatest situation,†he said, “but Clare and I have a lot of love for each other and this is the healthiest thing for us right now.†He also teased that he’s “not there yet†to consider future Bachelor or Bachelor in Paradise opportunities. Cute that he actually thinks he has a chance.