From The Bachelor to post-show life, Clayton Echard and Susie Evans’ journey has been something however typical.
The season 26 lead’s relationships together with his finalists blew up in the course of the 2022 season when Evans known as Echard sleeping with Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia a dealbreaker. The previous soccer participant subsequently satisfied Windey and Recchia to remain — saying that he cherished all three girls — however finally despatched them residence forward of the ultimate rose ceremony as a result of he had the strongest emotions for Evans.
“Simply because I cherished her probably the most, didn’t imply I had made a definitive reply that she was The One,” Echard mentioned on Us Weekly’s “Right here for the Proper Causes” podcast in March 2022 after the finale aired. “I do consider every thing occurs for a purpose. And when she left, like, I mentioned, ‘OK, I’ve these two unbelievable girls right here and I have to proceed to pour into them as a result of that is what apparently, precisely wanted to occur. So give these girls your all and see if perhaps you’ll find yourself strolling outta right here with one among ’em.’”
Whereas Evans briefly returned to the present, she didn’t settle for Echard’s last rose.
“To be sincere with you, I knew she would present up ‘trigger I knew it wasn’t her character to not present up. However I used to be very, very sure she was going to say no to me. I sort of anticipated that,” Echard informed Us, explaining why he picked out an engagement ring. “I needed her to know that, ‘Hey, I’m for actual about this. I actually, actually do love you and I’d get down on a knee,’ however I used to be studying the room. I used to be ready to see how she got here in, and I may inform by her temper and thru her phrases that I’m, like, clearly, this is not going to result in a proposal. That is going to result in the tip of the road. I had come to phrases with that. It damage me, however I used to be like, ‘No matter she tells you, respect it and be grateful that she confirmed up.’”
They finally reunited earlier than the sequence began airing in January 2022 and through spring 2022, the twosome moved in collectively in her native Virginia Seashore.
“We’ve talked about it and we all know from right here on out, like, this can be a relationship in the actual world the place you by no means know — something can occur and we’re conscious of that,” Echard informed Us. “We’re gonna give this each likelihood that we are able to. We love one another. And as of proper now, we’re each very, very completely satisfied. However relationships take effort. They’re laborious at instances. And so we all know that there’s gonna be these moments that lie forward. There’s by no means any assure in life, however with all that being mentioned, I’m extremely completely satisfied to be along with her. I’m so excited to have the ability to simply go get dinner, to go mountaineering, do all these items along with her, journey.”
By August 2022, nonetheless, the Missouri native revealed that the duo had been set to stay aside.
“At present, we’re in Virginia Seashore, however our subsequent step truly is, I’m shifting to Scottsdale, and she or he’s going to maneuver within the interim to L.A. Solely a 50-minute flight aside, however we’re each chasing our goals, and I feel location-wise, we each really feel that these are the spots that we need to be,” he mentioned on the “Not Skinny However Not Fats” podcast. “I imply, I’m engaged on my pc 10, 12 hours a day. So she was like, ‘Clayton, I’ll transfer to L.A. after which we are able to journey on the weekends to see one another.’ And we’ll see. We don’t know if we’re going to love that long-distance.”
The next month, they introduced their cut up.
Scroll by means of for extra from Echard and Evans about their relationship:
Credit score: Courtesy Clayton Echard/Instagram
Bachelor Clayton Echard and Susie Evans’ Sincere Quotes About Their Relationship
From The Bachelor to post-show life, Clayton Echard and Susie Evans’ journey has been something however typical.
The season 26 lead’s relationships together with his finalists blew up in the course of the 2022 season when Evans known as Echard sleeping with Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia a dealbreaker. The previous soccer participant subsequently satisfied Windey and Recchia to remain — saying that he cherished all three girls — however finally despatched them residence forward of the ultimate rose ceremony as a result of he had the strongest emotions for Evans.
“Simply because I cherished her probably the most, didn’t imply I had made a definitive reply that she was The One,” Echard mentioned on Us Weekly’s “Right here for the Proper Causes” podcast in March 2022 after the finale aired. “I do consider every thing occurs for a purpose. And when she left, like, I mentioned, ‘OK, I’ve these two unbelievable girls right here and I have to proceed to pour into them as a result of that is what apparently, precisely wanted to occur. So give these girls your all and see if perhaps you’ll find yourself strolling outta right here with one among ’em.’”
Whereas Evans briefly returned to the present, she didn’t settle for Echard’s last rose.
[jwplayer 62FeRZPt-zhNYySv2]
“To be sincere with you, I knew she would present up ‘trigger I knew it wasn’t her character to not present up. However I used to be very, very sure she was going to say no to me. I sort of anticipated that,” Echard informed Us, explaining why he picked out an engagement ring. “I needed her to know that, ‘Hey, I’m for actual about this. I actually, actually do love you and I’d get down on a knee,’ however I used to be studying the room. I used to be ready to see how she got here in, and I may inform by her temper and thru her phrases that I’m, like, clearly, this is not going to result in a proposal. That is going to result in the tip of the road. I had come to phrases with that. It damage me, however I used to be like, ‘No matter she tells you, respect it and be grateful that she confirmed up.’”
They finally reunited earlier than the sequence began airing in January 2022 and through spring 2022, the twosome moved in collectively in her native Virginia Seashore.
“We’ve talked about it and we all know from right here on out, like, this can be a relationship in the actual world the place you by no means know — something can occur and we’re conscious of that,” Echard informed Us. “We’re gonna give this each likelihood that we are able to. We love one another. And as of proper now, we’re each very, very completely satisfied. However relationships take effort. They’re laborious at instances. And so we all know that there’s gonna be these moments that lie forward. There’s by no means any assure in life, however with all that being mentioned, I’m extremely completely satisfied to be along with her. I’m so excited to have the ability to simply go get dinner, to go mountaineering, do all these items along with her, journey.”
By August 2022, nonetheless, the Missouri native revealed that the duo had been set to stay aside.
“At present, we’re in Virginia Seashore, however our subsequent step truly is, I’m shifting to Scottsdale, and she or he’s going to maneuver within the interim to L.A. Solely a 50-minute flight aside, however we’re each chasing our goals, and I feel location-wise, we each really feel that these are the spots that we need to be,” he mentioned on the “Not Skinny However Not Fats” podcast. “I imply, I’m engaged on my pc 10, 12 hours a day. So she was like, ‘Clayton, I’ll transfer to L.A. after which we are able to journey on the weekends to see one another.’ And we’ll see. We don’t know if we’re going to love that long-distance.”
The next month, they introduced their cut up.
Scroll by means of for extra from Echard and Evans about their relationship:
Credit score: ABC/Craig Sjodin
How Susie Feels About Clayton Sleeping With Gabby, Rachel
“Trying again, I’d’ve mentioned one thing means earlier,” Evans informed Us about not wanting Echard to have intercourse together with his finalists. “There actually wasn’t a good time to have that dialog. Issues transfer so quick. We each skilled it in several methods. You go from hometowns and then you definately suppose, ‘OK, I could be going residence.’ After which swiftly, you’re in Iceland. After which swiftly, you’re the third fantasy suite date and it’s too late to get a dialog. However I additionally didn’t suppose that I ought to inform Clayton how to do that. And I assume that was my mentality — ‘This might show our compatibility or not.’ And we’ve sort of come to the conclusion that I used to be residing with my real-world expectations, and there’s nothing improper with that. And Clayton tailored to, I assume, the method and relationship a number of girls. He acted in a means that many Bachelors earlier than have.”
Credit score: ABC/Ricky Middlesworth
How Clayton and Susie Moved Previous ‘The Bachelor’
“I feel we realized rather a lot from our discussions after the present greater than something. We didn’t maintain again. We rehashed that total evening on a number of events and we each may have accomplished higher that evening,” Evans informed Us in March 2022. “I may have communicated it higher. [Clayton] may have communicated higher, [he could have been] extra understanding of my perspective. We each realized a lot. And watching it again, it was unhappy, and it was robust as a result of I may see on Clayton’s face after I introduced up that matter … you may see the devastation in his face and that realization of, like, coming again down or coming again over to the actual world the place I used to be residing. It simply broke my coronary heart as a result of I knew it was coming. So it was robust to observe.”
Echard added that the pair used their journals to assist talk.
“Once we began speaking after the present, we opened up our journals as a result of we had actually written down every thing from the start to the tip of the journey and we opened them up and we simply learn them to one another during,” he mentioned. “I didn’t take out something. There was a whole lot of stuff in there and I needed her to know that is precisely the way it went. These are my internal ideas.”
Credit score: ABC/Pamela Littky
The Dishonest Allegations
The pair had been rocked with dishonest allegations in April 2022 when a lady messaged the marriage photographer that she slept with the previous Bachelor the evening earlier than. Echard, for his half, rapidly denied the claims as he wasn’t even in the identical state as the lady. Nonetheless, Evans admitted her abdomen “dropped” on the time.
“I clicked my messages and I’ve acquired a message from her. And I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh, like, there isn’t any means.’ After all, in that second, my abdomen, like, dropped as a result of I used to be similar to, ‘What?’” she mentioned on the “Speaking It Out” podcast on the time. “I simply couldn’t have even, like, fathomed Clayton of all folks — like, I simply genuinely have a lot belief in him as an excellent human being earlier than the rest. After which I see a textual content from him. And he’s like, ‘Oh, my gosh, there’s folks speculating on-line, like, that is loopy.’ And we FaceTime instantly. … He’s in his brother’s condominium in Arizona. That is, like, the day after supposedly that she was with him.”
Evans added that the drama, which ended with the lady admitting it wasn’t Echard however as an alternative a person pretending to be him, helped their romance develop.
“It simply led to conversations, like, ‘How can we navigate this sooner or later?’ And in addition simply, like, coming all the way down to pure belief. … [He has] pure intentions and [a] real soul, that I’d by no means ever, ever think about this to occur,” Evans mentioned. “The one instances that we combat or argue, it is by no means about, like, us. It is concerning the bizarre conditions that we’ve been thrown into due to a public relationship. We did have some, like, simply robust conversations for the way forward for like, ‘What are our expectations for one another?’ …. That is, like, such a brand new territory. And like, we do not know who to lean on to navigate these items, so we’ve to lean on one another.”
Credit score: Courtesy Clayton Echard/Instagram
Dwelling Individually
In August 2022, Echard revealed that he was shifting to Arizona whereas Evans relocated to California.
“Individuals may have a look at us like, ‘Oh, they’re separating.’ … [But a] little distance by no means hurts,” Echard mentioned on the time. “Distance makes the center develop fonder,” he famous. “She has her personal goals and aspirations. And we’re gonna give it a shot. … If it doesn’t work, and we’re like, ‘We don’t like this distance, it’s hurting us,’ then one among us will transfer to the opposite particular person.”
Credit score: Courtesy Clayton Echard/Instagram
What the Future Holds
“We’re like, ‘We don’t know if it’s going to be a month-long [relationship] from right here or if it’s gonna be lifetime however, like, there’s no strain. Let’s simply love one another and be grateful,’” Echard mentioned on “Not Skinny However Not Fats” podcast in August 2022. “We’re very, very completely satisfied proper now and in a extremely good spot, however yeah, we went by means of it — collectively, although. Fortunately, she’s been on my aspect and that’s the one purpose why I can sit right here with a lot positivity is due to her.”
Credit score: ABC/Craig Sjodin
How It Ended
One month after asserting their plans to maneuver out of their shared residence, they introduced by way of a joint assertion that known as it quits.
“With extremely heavy hearts, we needed to share that we’ve determined to go our separate methods. For anybody who has ever cherished, is aware of this was a painful resolution to make and never one taken calmly,” their assertion started.
Clayton and Susie admitted that “social media is unquestionably a spotlight reel,” however lots of their experiences have been “stored personal” over their time collectively.
“However we are going to share this — though this final yr collectively has introduced us a lot pleasure and so many laughs, there has additionally been a major quantity of ache. We all know no wholesome relationship comes with out its struggles, however we’ve realized that we weren’t ready for the exterior forces that hindered our capacity to not solely heal as people but in addition as a pair. We each are centered on persevering with to work on ourselves, so we could be the perfect model of ourselves,” they continued. “This isn’t a simple time for both of us however we stand in assist of one another and hope to see the opposite go on to seek out happiness and therapeutic. Though Claysie is not any extra, we hope that our communities can assist us individually as we transfer ahead with love and respect for one another. Thanks to all of you that supported our relationship. It means a lot greater than you’ll ever know. ❤️”
Credit score: Courtesy of Clayton Echard/Instagram
How Susie Saved Clayton
“I had no enterprise being the Bachelor with the individual that I used to be then. … The particular person I used to be now would have dealt with issues 100 instances higher,” Echard mentioned on the “Off the Vine” podcast in October 2022. “I would not have been held accountable if I wasn’t positioned in a highlight the place everybody may see each single nook of who I used to be every bit of me. I imply, I do suppose all of it occurs for a purpose. I feel I would not have been capable of get by means of what I acquired by means of with anyone apart from Susie. She was the one individual that was going to assist me see what I noticed. And she or he was the one individual that was going to maintain me from going off the rails and doing one thing extraordinarily drastic as a result of I had very darkish ideas from the present — moments the place I mentioned, , ‘It’d be higher off if I simply ended issues.’ And the truth that I had her with me as I used to be pondering that — I am like, ‘What if I did not have her?’ You recognize, ‘The place would I’ve been then?’”
Credit score: Courtesy of Susie Evans/Instagram
Why They Referred to as It Quits
The twosome cited their completely different communication kinds, backlash from Bachelor Nation and Echard struggling to heal amid a “self-identity” battle as causes for his or her cut up. Evans additionally felt like she was in “limbo” as Echard debated profession modifications.
“It sucked as a result of after we had this dialog an hour in the past, I used to be like, ‘So if I’d have simply picked the steadiness route, may which have modified issues?’” he requested on “Off the Vine,” referring to his debate about going again to company America however finally selecting his psychological well being advocacy profession. “And I spotted that secure would not carry you happiness, typically. … And I spotted I am unable to hand over on this dream and this ardour of mine, how do I discover sufficient stability mentally that I can present for Susie but in addition, like, I do not need to take away from me chasing after my ardour that, in truth is giving me life — simply chasing and reaching these children and making a significant distinction greater than I ever have.”
Credit score: Courtesy of Susie Evans/Instagram ;
What Susie Realized
In a November 2022 weblog put up, Evans detailed the “greatest classes” she realized from her breakup with Echard. “What I discovered in my final relationship is {that a} partnership rooted in love alone doesn’t all the time have the constructing blocks to develop tall and powerful,” she wrote. “So earlier than you go and fall in love with simply anyone, remember the fact that discovering a associate that aligns with you on these essential basis items will extra probably set your relationship up for long-term success.”
Although she and Echard did not work out, Evans mentioned she’s grateful for what the connection taught her about herself. “I feel finally we’re each on our solution to discovering happiness inside ourselves and our passions,” she defined. “I do know for a indisputable fact that we each are rooting one another on from afar. Simply because one thing wasn’t ceaselessly, it doesn’t imply it wasn’t great.”
