Former Bachelor Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph split
Former "Bachelor" star Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph have split, they confirmed Friday.
The couple met during production of season 23 of "The Bachelor" and had been quarantining together during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
However, Underwood wrote on Instagram, "Cass and I have been doing a lot of self-reflecting," and decided, "Sometimes people are just meant to be friends."
"We both have grown immensely and been through so much together -- so this isn't the end of our story, it's the start of a whole new chapter for us," he continued.
Randolph wrote in a separate post that although she and Underwood were no longer a couple, they "have decided to remain a part of each others lives."
"With all that we have gone through, we have a special bond that will always be there," she added. "I love Colton very much and have an enormous amount of respect for him. We have both learned and grown so much these past couple years, and will always have each others back. Always."
Underwood, 28, and Randolph, 25, met during season 23 of "The Bachelor," when Underwood famously jumped a fence in frustration after Randolph eliminated herself from the show.
Ultimately, they decided to date, and in March, Underwood announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 and was recovering alongside Randolph and her family at their home in Huntington Beach, California.
"I just want to take a second and thank this beautiful woman and her family for taking such good care of me. Not only physically, but mentally too (and I'm probably the most high maintenance patient)," he wrote on Instagram last month. "She's hardworking, passionate, understanding, kind and has the biggest heart. Her family opened up their doors to us while we were in quarantine and through everything we stuck together. I have made a full recovery from the coronavirus and we managed to keep the entire family healthy as well."
"I am now working with medical professionals to figure out the best way to support their efforts against the coronavirus," he added. "I can't thank @cassierandolph and the entire Randolph family enough for caring for me while I'm away from my family."
A source told People that the break-up "happened recently," because they "just weren't on the same page."
"Colton really wanted to settle down and get married -- he's been ready for a long time -- and Cassie just wasn't ready," the source said. "They both knew it wasn't going to work."
