After finding each other on Season 7 of The Bachelorette, Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum’s love story is coming to an end. The couple have decided to officially end their nearly eight-year marriage “after months of separation,” which Ashley, 35, revealed in an Instagram post on Oct. 14. Ashley wrote the breakup announcement alongside a photo from her 2012 nuptials with J.P., 43, making this news even more bittersweet.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that, after months of separation, JP and I have amicably decided to go our separate ways,” Ashley began the heavy post. The Bachelorette star continued, “We created the most beautiful children [Fordham, 5, and Essex, 3] and shared memories that will never be forgotten.”
However, Ashley revealed that she and J.P. are done trying to fix the “damage” in their relationship. “Our differences have taken a toll on our relationship and after years of attempting to repair the damage, we’ve decided that it is in our family’s best interest to create new and separate lives for our children,” she explained.
On a final note, Ashley added, “Please respect our privacy as we move forward with the newness of our lives. Our ultimate focus is to create stable and healthy lives for our children. Thank you for your love and support throughout the years. Wishing you all love, happiness, and good health.”
J.P. also issued a lengthy statement in the wake of the split. He admitted to feeling “the same level of disbelief and extreme sadness” whenever he went to write the post on Instagram, and explained, “I can assure you that this is something that has been developing in our relationship for quite a while.”
J.P. also made it clear that one dramatic incident didn’t end his marriage. “Please please please know that there is no one to blame, that there’s no event that triggered this decision, that no one is the victim, and that we’ve done absolutely everything we possibly can to try to salvage this marriage. I think we’ve both come to realize that we are just two very different people, with very different personalities and perspectives, who just don’t see eye to eye on a lot life fundamentals, those which are the building blocks for a happy and healthy marriage,” he explained. You can read J.P.’s full message above.
This means there are only three other Bachelor Nation couples who have remained married: Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter, Desire Hartsock and Chris Siegfried, and Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo. Ashley and J.P. had been vocal about their marital issues when they starred on Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars in 2017, and at the time, J.P. had claimed that sex “doesn’t happen” since they were busy raising a newborn.
This news also comes nearly a year after Ashley revealed that J.P. was suffering from Guillain-Barré syndrome. “He is in treatment and doing well. It may be a long road to full recovery, but we are so grateful to everyone that has helped us get to a speedy diagnosis and treatment,” Ashley explained on her Instagram Story in Dec. 2019. The condition is a “rare disorder in which your body’s immune system attacks your nerves,” according to the Mayo Clinic.