lauren bushnell

Ben Higgins Gets Honest About Lauren 
Bushnell's Engagement: ''My Life Isn't
Tied to Her''

• After news of Lauren Bushnell's engagement to Chris Lane broke, Ben Higgins congratulated his ex on Tuesday's episode of The Ben & Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast.

• It may seem hard to believe, but the former Bachelor seems to be happy that his ex-fiancé has found love with a new man, because it signifies the end of a chapter.

• "Ultimately, we left that relationship both of us, I think, saying, 'I hope life brings you a ton of joy, I don't want you upset and alone forever. I hope you find a partner as soon as possible. I hope everything that you want in this world that's healthy and good is given to you.' And that's exactly how I feel," the host explains. "So, to go to Lauren: Lauren congratulations!"

• He adds, "We're thrilled for you. You found a man that you love without any pressure and in a moment, after dating for a long time, you have said yes to spending your life with him and I could not be more excited for you. I want nothing but joy and everything you ever wanted that our relationship would've have brought you and Chris. Congratulations."

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• But, Ben is also including a message to all the people who are curious about how he really feels: It's time for everyone to move on. "And the second piece of this is that I hope for Lauren and myself, is that my life isn't as closely tied to Lauren anymore. I hope that people aren't reaching out," he says. 

• If that message isn't clear enough then this is: "I hope this is a chapter being closed completely because I don't know Lauren anymore and my life isn't tied to her."

• It's safe to say that Ben feels this way, because he has truly moved on to bigger and better things. But if he wasn't so in love with his current girlfriend, Jessica Clarke, would he still feel the same?

• Well, Ben doesn't really know. He says that if he were single he might "question" what his "issues" are and why he has yet find someone of his own. "So if this was something that made her happy, I hope that I am a person, maybe I wouldn't be, but I hope I have a strong enough foundation to where I wouldn't be resentful but yet celebrate her and her happiness but also reflect on where I was at," he reasons. "And if I was alone at this point, whew! It's never fun to see an ex get engaged while you sit there alone in your room and go, 'Well this is fun.' But the truth is that's not the case, I'm happy.

• Afterwards, the two continued to document their romance on Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After?. While the reality spinoff showed the couple planning for their big day, it didn't end with the happy ending fans had hoped for. Viewers watched the two call off their wedding on the show. While they continued to work on their relationship, the couple ended up splitting in 2017. 

• "It is with heavy hearts that we announce our decision to go our separate ways," they told People in a joint statement at the time. "We feel fortunate for the time we had together and will remain friends with much love and respect for one another. We wish nothing but the best for each other and ask for your support and understanding at this time." 

• Just days after announcing the split, Higgins opened up about the "tough" breakup on his podcast with fellow Bachelor alum Ashley Iaconetti.

• "I think mutually Lauren and I saw that life was getting more difficult," he said at the time.  "I would say the joy that we felt toward our relationship at the beginning was—for some reason—slipping away, and we were both working very hard to bring that joy back. And it just never seemed to get there. So it was a long time coming but it wasn't necessarily like we dragged it out."