stars Michelle Young and Nayte Olukoya have ended their engagement six months after the season 18 finale.
During the heartwarming special – which aired in December 2021 – fans saw , after the school teacher hailed him as her ‘person.’
The stars confirmed the news in a lengthy statement via Instagram Stories, where Michelle expressed that having their ‘relationship in the public eye has not been easy.’
‘I’m struggling to say that Nayte and I will be going our separate ways,’ she penned.
‘But I stand with him in knowing the heaviness that is present in both of our hearts as this relationship has been very real for us.’
Reflecting on her relationship with the sales executive, she added: ‘To you Nayte, you quickly became my best friend, and the love I have for you is incredibly strong. I will never stop wanting you to succeed.’
Nayte also addressed their split to his 300,000 Instagram followers.
‘When we both started this journey, we were looking for our Soulmates. Our forever. Our best friends,’ he wrote.
‘However, as we grow and learn, we also realize that sometimes somebody that you hold dear to your heart isn’t somebody that you’re meant to spend the rest of your life with.’
He continued: ‘Hearts are heavy, emotions are high, and we are dealing with this the best way we can… We genuinely fell in love, and we genuinely became each other’s best friends.
‘Michelle and I will always cheer each other on, but moving forward, we will be cheering from a distance.’
Split rumours started to swirl last month after Michelle was seen without her engagement ring, however, she quickly squashed all speculation.
Taking to Instagram Stories, she wrote: ‘To the person who is paying close enough attention to catch that moment, you also have to be paying close enough attention to see one of my good friends briefly remove my engagement ring to try it on and then place it back on my finger.
‘Just a friendly reminder that Nayte and I, we are human beings, not a zoo exhibit. Not to mention, videoing somebody without them knowing is creepy! It’s not cool!’ she added.
The Bachelorette is available to stream on hayu.
