SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: Brandon Jones and Serene Russell have called off their engagement. The 'Bachelor in Paradise' alums announced their breakup on Instagram on May 8, almost six months after their engagement ran on the show's season 8 finale.
Season 8 of 'Bachelor in Paradise' saw Serene and Brandon fall in love and get engaged. They had recently moved in together in San Diego and spent time with each other's friends and family. In March, the pair took to Instagram to share breathtaking photographs from their engagement photo shoot, and Bachelor Nation couldn't get enough! But with the abrupt revelation of their split, were the fans truly blindsided?
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Why did Serene and Brandon split?
The former couple said in a joint post, which featured photos and videos from their time together, "After many months, today we have ultimately decided to end our engagement."
"We have tried to work privately on our relationship which has been incredibly challenging in the public eye," they wrote, adding, "This has been immensely hard to accept and painful, as there is a lot of love between the two of us." "We are deeply hurting and can only ask that there be no hate," the post concluded. "The best path for us at this time is to try and move forward and heal from this as individuals."
Looks like the former couple is blaming the public eye, which proved to be a burden on their relationship.
Serene earlier shut down separation rumors
Serene and Brandon were one of the most powerful couples to emerge from ABC's 'Bachelor in Paradise'. The couple began on a high note and ended the season engaged, even moving in together. However, in early March, rumors began to circulate that Serene and Brandon had split up. Serene swiftly debunked the rumors, but her Instagram Story revealed that there was indeed trouble in paradise.
While Serene and Brandon looked to be in a good place, the rumor mill had been spinning with reports of their breakup, and the pair wasn't happy. Serene responded to the rumor during an Instagram Q&A session with her fans, stating, "The account that started this rumor kept posting it on different mediums even after I set them straight."
Serene cautioned her followers not to "believe everything [they] read online." Brandon reposted his then-fiancee's Instagram Story on his own, stating, "These accounts be saying anything. Clout is a helluva drug." Both celebs declined to identify the source of the break up rumors.
According to their Instagram posts, Serene and Brandon hadn't been in San Diego for a while, and one Instagram Story post had followers concerned. Serene had posted a cryptic photo with the caption, "Hurry is the enemy of love," which some fans misinterpreted as a reference to their rapid engagement and cohabitation. However, other Reddit users believed there wasn't much to it, suggesting that Serene may have simply noticed an interesting shot and chosen to share it with her admirers. Others pointed out that the slide after that was a repost from Brandon about her.
'Focus on the two of you instead of the next photo shoot'
Heartbroken fans took to the comment section to express their sorrow as one wrote, "Love is dead." While another chimed in, "No way! You two gave me hope that true love existed. 😢." Another user said, "I’m not ok. This is heartbreaking." A fourth fan wrote, "This one hurt, REAL BAD. 😭😭😭."
Agreeing with the former couple, one fan also wrote, "Healing publicly is difficult." Another pleaded, "PLEASE WORK IT OUT. I CAN’T ACCEPT NO AS AN ANSWER. 🥺." One further suggested, "Maybe y’all need to get out of the public eye and focus on the two of you instead of the next photo shoot, interviews or shows!" Meanwhile one follower wrote, "Her posts were really looking risqué for being engaged. I was wondering…😏."
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