Bachelor in Paradise season 9 stars Kylee Russell and Aven Jones have split.
“Following our relationship announcement yesterday, I want to thank my God, he didn’t allow me to live another day in the dark,” Kylee, 26, wrote via her Instagram Story on Saturday, December 9, referring to their Instagram hard launch one day prior. “In the last 24 hours, I have been grasping with the fact that one of the most important relationships in my life dissolved due to multiple infidelities.”
Kylee added: “This is not just a show but my real life and for the foreseeable future, I will be in a time of healing and trying to put the puzzle pieces of my life back together. Please respect my privacy at this time. Love you all.”
The Bachelor alum also deleted photos from her and Aven’s professional photoshoot, which had initially been uploaded in a joint post on Friday, December 8. Aven, 30, has not publicly addressed the couple’s breakup or Kylee’s cheating allegations. Us Weekly has reached out for comment.
They found a connection on Bachelor in Paradise season 9, with Kylee proclaiming in the premiere episode that she wanted to meet Aven after they exchanged flirty social media messages ahead of filming. (He “liked” several of her Instagram posts and dropped a fire emoji on one pic.)
Despite eventually becoming one of the stronger couples in Paradise, Kylee was “holding on to false hope” in the Thursday, December 7, finale that Aven would propose. (He similarly knew he couldn’t get engaged following the show’s quick timeline when he appeared on Rachel Recchia’s season of The Bachelorette.)
“An engagement is what I’ve been wanting, and I know it’s him. I know,” Kylee admitted in a confessional. “So, I don’t get why he can’t see that as well. I don’t know what more I can do.”
While Aven thought they were in a “really good spot” as is, he just wasn’t ready to get down on one knee and propose.
“As much as I believe in Paradise, I can’t not compare it to shifting the same dynamics in the real world. I can’t do it,” he said in his own confessional. “I don’t want this to be a dealbreaker for us. I’m not willing to lose her over an engagement in Paradise.”
Aven continued: “If that’s the conversation that starts I’m going to have to really make a real decision on what I want to do because I don’t know how to solve that. I don’t know what the solution is. I don’t know where to go from here.”
Because the pair were already falling in love, they weren’t willing to give up their connection. They opted to leave the show as a couple without getting engaged.
