The Bachelorette alum Kaitlyn Bristowe has revealed that social media contributed to her "painful" and "heartbreaking" split from Jason Tartick.

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Kaitlyn and Jason, who began dating in January 2019 and got engaged in May 2021, announced on August 6 they had called it quits on their relationship and ended their engagement.

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The Season 11 The Bachelorette star recently revealed that she and Jason failed to prioritize their relationship and that they weren't "choosing" each other on a daily basis.

Kaitlyn insisted no one was at fault and no one is to blame for the demise of their relationship, but she opted out of revealing any additional details about what went wrong and why they called it quits -- until now.

The Dancing with the Stars 29 winner shed new light on her broken engagement to Jason during the August 17 episode of her "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" podcast.

"I talked to this lady who is a social-media trauma counselor, and she talks about how pressure on relationships [from] social media can destroy a relationship, without even being in the public eye," Kaitlyn told her podcast's guest, The Bachelorette 13 star Rachel Lindsay.

"You're always feeling like you need to show everybody how happy you are... and it's all amplified with social media."

Kaitlyn went on to reveal, "I truly think part of the reason Jason and I have not worked out is social media played a part in that -- not like cheating or anything, but just pressures or feeling like we're putting on a performative show."

That probably helps to explain why Kaitlyn decided to take a break from social media after she and Jason publicly announced their breakup in a joint statement on Instagram.

"Losing money to keep your sanity with social media is, like, the best thing that you can do," Kaitlyn said with a laugh.

"Bachelor world, of course they watch you fall in love and they watch you go through this, and they do feel entitled to keep up with you. And I do feel a responsibility to share that.... and I really loved sharing about it."

Kaitlyn pointed out how she "loved sharing" her life when she was engaged to her The Bachelorette 11 winner Shawn Booth and she also "loved doing it with Jason."

But Kaitlyn concluded "Now I'm like, 'F-ck it, I'm not doing it anymore!'... I haven't been on social media for [over a week], but I'm like, 'I'm okay! I'm not missing anything.' I truly feel way more present in conversations I'm having and things I want to go out and do."

The Bachelor 19 alum, however, has posted a couple things on Instagram lately.

This past weekend, Kaitlyn posted a slideshow of photos that included flowers, jewelry, a contortionist, and the podcaster stopping by a psychic shop.

"Not to spoil the ending for you. But you're going to be ok," Kaitlyn captioned her post.

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Kaitlyn also shared the following quote: "It is only heavy because you are deciding over and over again to carry it. Embrace change, loosen up your sense of identity, let yourself walk a new path. You do not have to ignore or erase the past, you just have to wholeheartedly embrace the present and move on."

Meanwhile, Jason shared on "Trading Secrets" last week that he's been trying to "cope" and "grieve" his breakup with Kaitlyn, which has been "really tough."

"For anyone who has texted or called, apologies for not getting back... It's just been a really foggy week. It's a lot of emotional swings," he said.

Jason also decided to skip a boys' trip to Saratoga in order to have time to himself and attempt to heal.

"I want to continue to just go through my journey and work toward what's next," he explained.

"And the idea of a distraction and hanging and partying and drinking with the guys it doesn't feel like that's in my cards."

Kaitlyn revealed on her podcast last week how her mental health "hit rock bottom" after her split from Jason but she's been leaning on family and friends for support.

"Not being on social media has really helped [me heal], and I'm scared to go back. I think the noise will be gone a bit, when I'm back, and then I will be very cautious of what I'm looking at and taking in," Kaitlyn said on her podcast's August 15 episode.

"I just feel like focusing on myself and my mental health right now, and tuning out the noise is important."

Jason is currently living "down the street" from Kaitlyn in Nashville and they're both taking care of the two Golden Retrievers they had adopted together during better times: Pino and Ramen.

The former The Bachelorette star also said her current dynamic with her ex-fiance is amicable and has nothing but love and respect for him.

Kaitlyn and Jason never followed through with planning a wedding after their engagement, which raised eyebrows and eventually prompted breakup speculation.

Breakup rumors began to swirl in July because Kaitlyn and Jason hadn't posted anything about each other on Instagram for about a month. Jason also took a solo trip to see his mother in New York in late July, and he posted photos with his dogs during a fun day out in Nashville -- but Kaitlyn didn't participate.

And when Instagram users flooded The Bachelorette alums' comments with questions and concerns about the status of their relationship, neither Kaitlyn or Jason responded.

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Kaitlyn fueled speculation her romance was on the rocks -- or over completely -- when she took to Instagram Stories on August 1 with an angry message.

"I cannot believe the audacity of people to expect things from me when I haven't even been able to process things for myself," Kaitlyn wrote, according to Us Weekly.

Needing to "process things" seemed to suggest she and Jason had split up and called off their engagement.

The Dancing with the Stars 29 winner continued, "Have a f-cking heart. You're scaring me with your comments and demands. I'm almost worried about YOU."

Kaitlyn quickly deleted the post, but screenshots of it still exist online and in her "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" podcast group on Facebook.

Kaitlyn subsequently uploaded a permanent post on Instagram featuring lyrics to her 2020 song "If I'm Being Honest," which suggested she wasn't ready to tell her story.

Kaitlyn had also been spotted without her engagement ring in July and wrote cryptic posts on social media about needing to toughen up.

While Kaitlyn and Jason breakup rumors were circulating, Kaitlyn's first fiance, her The Bachelorette 11 winner Shawn Booth, announced he's going to be a dad with a woman named Audrey "Dre" Joseph, who had taken professional and promotional photos of him and is a member at his gym.

Kaitlyn and Shawn were together for about three years and announced their split in November 2018.

Jason, who initially competed for Becca Kufrin's heart on The Bachelorette's fourteenth season in 2018, asked Kaitlyn out on their first date in January 2019, and their romance moved quickly.

Jason moved from his place in Seattle, WA, to live with Kaitlyn in Nashville, TN, in June 2019, and then the couple adopted their two dogs together. Jason then popped the question in Spring 2021.

In June 2022, Kaitlyn told Us that she and Jason planned to start trying for a baby right after their wedding. (But now that Kaitlyn and Jason are over, she confessed that she's "terrified" to have kids). 

Earlier this year, Kaitlyn explained in the media how she and Jason had been distracted when it came to wedding planning and were in no rush to exchange vows.

When asked about her nuptials on the February 5 episode of "The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever with Chris Harrison," Kaitlyn confessed with a laugh, "We suck."

"Honestly, any time we sit down to talk about [the wedding], we literally want to do something else," Kaitlyn said of her former dynamic with Jason at their home in Nashville.

"And that sounds so terrible because it should be a priority, but it doesn't feel like one -- and we're both okay with that."

Chris, who hosted The Bachelor franchise for nearly two decades, assured his friend, "That's all that matters," and Kaitlyn agreed.

"I feel like there's so much noise, like, 'Why aren't you guys talking about the wedding? Why is there not a wedding happening?!'" Kaitlyn shared.

"And it's like, 'I don't need to prove my relationship through a wedding.' I don't know, I just don't."

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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