Just a few months after getting engaged on national television, Bachelor in Paradise’s Demi Burnett and Kristian Haggerty have announced on social media that they are no longer together, but they are moving forward toward what’s best for them.
Demi and Kristian got engaged during the season 6 finale of Bachelor in Paradise which aired in September, though Kristian hadn’t appeared on a Bachelor franchise show prior to her time in paradise. Demi appeared on Colton’s season of The Bachelor and was known for being a firecracker who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. During her time in paradise she began a relationship with Derek Peth, but couldn’t stop herself from missing Kristian, who she was in a relationship with prior to coming onto Bachelor in Paradise. The producers of the show brought Kristian to Mexico, making Demi and Kristian Bachelor Nation’s first same-sex couple to ever be featured, and the pair received an outpouring of support, including from Derek despite Demi breaking up with him for Kristian. Recently, Demi addressed rumors that the couple had split up, defending their relationship and telling people to mind their own business, but it seems that the rumors were right.
On October 31st, Demi and Kristian posted identical statements to their Instagram pages, explaining that “with a heavy heart full of love for one another we have decided it is best for us to take a step back from our relationship.” The statement said that the decision was made because Demi and Kristian “want what is best for us in the long run and for us right now, that means being apart and growing individually” and that the pair “will forever be proud of the impact our love story has made.” Being the first gay couple to ever come off of a Bachelor franchise TV show, the women wrote that they hope their story “helped others feel more accepted and confident within themselves,” and they hope that “it reminded others they aren’t alone and don’t need to be ashamed of who they are.” Both women disabled comments on their posts and have been relatively quiet on social media. You can read the full post on Demi’s Instagram below:
Though the couple received mostly positive support from their fellow cast members and fans when Kristian was brought onto the show, there were some naysayers. Some viewers questioned Demi’s sexuality, while others felt that the situation was unfair and thought that Demi and Kristian should’ve been asked to leave the beach. Bachelor Nation alum Tanner Tolbert was one of the people who objected to Demi and Kristian being allowed to stay on the beach, claiming that it was a production stunt and that their engagement was pre-planned. Tolbert even compared Demi to Jed Wyatt, the hated winner of the most recent season of The Bachelorette. Tolbert took issue with the fact that Demi came on Bachelor in Paradise and started a relationship with Derek despite having feelings for someone else, but Demi, being the spitfire she is, was quick to shut that criticism down.
Demi and Kristian’s breakup announcement comes just days after fellow Bachelor in Paradise couple Tayshia Adams and John Paul Jones announced they have split. Despite the show’s ability to produce a handful of successful couples over the years, neither breakup comes as a complete surprise and fans are already speculating which of the season 6 couples will be next to fall. Demi remains a fan-favorite contestant and though her relationship has come to an end (for now at least), this definitely won’t be the last Bachelor Nation hears of her. Perhaps a role as co-bartender with Wells Adams on Bachelor in Paradise is in her future.
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Source: Demi Burnett
