Kufrin previously admitted their relationship was up in the air following his pro-police post.
Becca Kufrin and Garrett Yrigoyen are going their separate ways. Kufrin shared the news on her Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, just over two years after they got engaged on her season of The Bachelorette.
"Although this is a very difficult and quite a personal matter for me, I do truly value and care for all of our listeners and the questions and concerns you've had these past few weeks. And so I just want to go ahead and share with you guys directly what I've been going through," she began. "So I want to preface this with I'm sitting in my apartment alone recording this by myself. I didn't think it was fitting to bring anyone else into this conversation when my relationship was only made up of two people, which was obviously myself and Garrett."
"I know that there has been so much speculation and curiosity out there regarding where him and I stand... No one else has the right to confirm this unless it comes directly from the source, from the horse's mouth, which is, in this moment, me," Kufrin continued, before getting choked up as she shared the breakup news.
"I don’t think it’s going to come as a shock to anyone, but Garrett and I have decided to end our engagement. And if you have followed us on Instagram the past couple of months, you'll have noticed that I spent a lot of time in Minnesota. I was with family and close friends, and he was out on the West Coast doing the same," she said. "We were just trying to take time and gain some clarity as to what was the next best step in our lives together or as individuals."
Kufrin noted that the split decision was reached "after many conversations" and wasn't something "we just arrived at one night" or something that was "based solely off of one Instagram post or somebody else’s opinions or comments."
"There’s much more to it," she said. "To any relationship, there’s a lot of layers, and it’s not for me to divulge details. It’s no one’s business other than what I’m telling you right now."
Kufrin described the breakup as "a rollercoaster of emotions" with "ups and downs," which she's been taking "day by day."
"I think now that we've finally kind of come to terms with it and have been able to sit in this decision for a little bit, we've realized that we still have so much love and kindness and compassion in our hearts for the other person, but sometimes people's paths just go different ways," she said, before describing the start of their love story.
"We went on this crazy TV show over two years ago with hopes of finding love and we were lucky enough that we did," she said, breaking down in tears. "We really, truly did. I'm so grateful for that opportunity and to have had the two plus years with Garrett.
"I still have so much love and compassion in my heart for him," Kufrin continued. "Just because we’ve arrived at this decision now doesn’t take away all of the years and the countless memories that we’ve made together. Those will always be carried in my heart and I will always look back at this time in my life with so much gratitude and love."
Kufrin went on to describe the future she thought she'd have with Yrigoyen.
"We also thought that we had a future that would be set in stone. We thought that we'd buy a house together and have a dog and probably add children to the mix one day," she said. "Again, life happens and people sometimes drift apart and have differences and they go their separate ways."
Kufrin ended her speech by requesting privacy as she and Yrigoyen "determine what's best for us and how to navigate this difficult time."
"I also want to thank people out there for following our journey and supporting us since the beginning. It really does mean the world," she said. "... 2020 has been a hell of a year, but I'm not the only one who's had to deal with this. I'm not the only one who will ever have to deal with this. So it's important now more than ever to lean on each other and just to give out a little bit more kindness and grace to others out there because we could all use it with everything going on."
"I just hope from here on out the rumors can be put to bed and that Garrett and I can now move on into the next chapter of our lives that's hopefully, fingers crossed, the best ones yet," she concluded.
Kufrin also shared the news on Instagram alongside a photo of herself and Yrigoyen smiling.
"With a heavy heart, Garrett and I have come to the loving conclusion to end our engagement. All that we will share is that we still have nothing but love and respect for one another even though we’ve decided to go down our own separate paths," she wrote. "While we’ve arrived at this point, it doesn’t diminish the countless, amazing memories made together. We hope that everyone can allow us grace, respect and the time to heal our hearts as we navigate this next chapter in our lives."
The pair's relationship was under scrutiny from the start. He ignited controversy while Kufin's season of The Bachelorette was airing in 2018, as fans discovered he had liked racist and sexist posts on social media. Yrigoyen apologized, explaining his behavior as "mindless" double taps, and while Kufrin didn't condone his behavior, she stuck by him.
Then, in June 2020, Yrigoyen found himself involved in controversy once again, as he shared a pro-police post on Instagram amid the Black Lives Matter movement. Fellow Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay confronted Kufrin about the post on their Bachelor Happy Hour podcast.
Kufrin called Yrigoyen's Instagram "tone-deaf," and revealed that her sister had also spoken to her, upset with Yrigoyen's post. Kufrin said Yrigoyen's actions were not "malicious" but rather coming from a place of concern for his family and friends who are cops.
"Garrett is my fiancé and I love him and, to his core, I believe that he is a good person,” she said. “I don’t align with and I don’t agree with [his post]."
"I don't think that was the time or the place or the right sentiment... we're struggling too right now," Kufrin added. "There's a lot going on and now I'm struggling with this... There is still a lot of growth and changing of mindsets I would like to see take place."
Lindsay agreed that Yrigoyen was not "malicious," but said his actions exemplify "what the problem is."
"You don't have to be riding around with white sheets on to be doing things that are racist," she explained. "I know Garrett has a good heart, but the fact that he is willing to equate Blue Lives Matter to Black Lives Matter shows me that you don't get it. Garrett is not an idiot... you are not willing to unlearn the world that you live in."
"At the end of the day, I don't choose to be Black. Police officers choose to become a police officer. You face dangers, you take an oath to serve and protect... nobody is saying that your lives don't matter," she added. "But by Garrett putting that message out there, you are missing the entire point... If you have chosen to not educate yourself or to not learn what is going on, it is a choice."
A week later, Kufrin said on the podcast that her relationship with Yrigoyen was up in the air.
"I want to say to our listeners out there -- because I'm sure many will hear this back and wonder and ask and have opinions -- for those who are curious about my relationship with Garrett at this point, all I can say right now is I don’t know," she said. "I can’t give anything more than that."
"It’s something that we are trying to work through and discuss and do work on at home at this time, and that’s where the work will remain, and that’s really the best I can give you at this point," Kufrin continued. "But I wanted to share this... to give a little bit more context and to give you, Rachel, my apology and to really throw my voice and hat in the ring to say things need to change within the franchise and within myself as well."
See more on Kufrin and Yrigoyen in the video below.
RELATED CONTENT:
