Bachelor Nation sees its fair share of rumors, from supposed cheating scandals to breakups. Season 11 Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe wants fans to know that any rumors about her engagement to Shawn Booth, to whom she gave her final rose, have no grounding in reality.
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As reported in Us Weekly, rumors have been flying that Bristowe and Booth’s engagement is on the rocks, if not over completely. The couple has been together since they got engaged in 2015, but Bristowe has been spending the summer in Canada sans Booth. Hence, people are worried that something might be wrong. But Bristowe addressed the rumors on the most recent episode of her podcast, Off the Vine.
“So, here’s the truth,” Bristowe said. “I’m in Canada because every single year, I have made a promise to myself and my family that I will come up every August and enjoy downtime with the people that I love in a country that I love. Family is so important to me. Relationships in general are very important to me. I put relationships first.”
She continued, “Shawn did not come up with me because the guy just bought a gym. He bought a business. He has started something huge. He is the most dedicated person I’ve ever met. He’s gonna have to be there for months… We are both so busy, and unfortunately, that means we’re spending all of this time apart.”
Of course, Bristowe said, that can be hard on anyone: “If you’ve ever been a person who is running a successful brand or business and a person who is doing the same but in a different career path you know times can be tough. You are both always away. You’re exhausted at the end of the day. Sometimes, the relationship isn’t being put first, but does that mean you call it quits? No. You love the shit out of each other and you work through it. And [on] yourselves to be better. And you know that times aren’t always going to be smooth sailing.… You just have to get through those hurdles and enjoy the good times. Shawn and I are 110 percent committed to each other, and yes, we are still together.”
Whew. Time for a big sigh of relief. Having a relationship that’s constantly in the public eye has got to be tough. After she assured listeners that she and Booth are definitely still in it for the long haul, Bristowe said, “To be honest, I didn’t think I would have to do this, but also, I shouldn’t be surprised. I was on a reality show that showed me getting engaged to somebody. [People] will become invested in us and our love story. I haven’t been wearing my engagement ring and not even noticing myself, people have pointed out that I apparently haven’t been liking his photos on Instagram.”
Bristowe also said she’s been doing a “social media cleanse,” which is totally in line with her desire to spend time in Canada with loved ones enjoying some time to herself. Some of the rumors about their relationship may also come from how long they’ve been engaged post-Bachelorette finale. Bristowe told Us in June that they’ve talked about starting their engagement over so that the show doesn’t even factor into the timeline of how they plan their wedding.
“I feel like we are going backwards!” she told the outlet. “I feel like we’ve talked about him re-proposing because sometimes I don’t even want to wear a ring anymore cause I want him to have it just so he can surprise me. Because we always talk about him proposing when I’m not expecting it rather than when I’m on the show where I knew it was coming. So yeah, I’ve thought about giving the ring back to Shawn so that he could use it to propose when the time comes, and we can start wedding planning when we feel that it’s that time.”
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Likewise, Booth told Us in May that he doesn’t think the timeline of their relationship is all that strange, all things considered. “It blows my mind when people ask, ‘Why haven’t you gotten married?’” he said. “Because we’ve been together for three years and I’d like to see the timeline on people’s relationships and engagements who are asking us. Being together for three years without getting married doesn’t seem strange to me.”
Getting engaged on a reality show certainly puts pressure on a relationship, but it’s refreshing to see Bristowe and Booth taking their time to let their relationship develop on their own terms. It’s unfortunate that Bristowe had to address breakup rumors, but we’re glad she did, if only so people will let things rest.
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