The Bachelorette winner Erich Schwer has broken his silence on his breakup with Gabby Windey amid reports she dumped him less than two months after her Season 19 finale aired.
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Neither Gabby or Erich released a statement at the time, but Gabby has since claimed she and Erich "weren't each other's best match" and they weren't "in sync" in terms of their common goals and different approaches to life.
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On Tuesday, Erich finally shared his perspective on his broken engagement to Gabby via Instagram Stories.
"A lot of you are reaching out with questions about me and Gabby," Erich began in a lengthy posting to his Instagram followers.
"The reality is that we ultimately were not each others people -- it's hard when there isn't one thing to put your finger on."
Erich continued, "We met in a very unique situation and in a very unique way and I'm grateful we did. I would never take it back.
The real estate analyst from Bedminster, NJ, went on to compliment and praise Gabby, whom he had proposed marriage to on The Bachelorette nineteenth-season finale, which aired in late September.
"Gabby is an amazing person and she is doing amazing things," Erich noted. "I will always root for her and I hope she gives them hell in the DWTS finale."
Gabby has been a frontrunner on Dancing with the Stars' 31st season with her professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy, and the show's finale will stream live on Disney+ next week.
"I have learned and grown so much this year from experiences and mistakes and I continue to better myself every day," Erich noted in his Instagram Stories statement.
"I am hoping to take this time with my family and loved ones and focus on myself. I have been working hard these past few months and I'm excited to share with y'all eventually.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWIt sounds like Erich has a new job or has been working on a new career opportunity.
On the latest episode of Dancing with the Stars, Gabby and Val performed a "flawless" waltz, and then Dancing with the Stars co-host Alfonso Ribeiro asked the ICU nurse if it's been hard to compete on such an intense show while she's also dealing with a broken heart.
"Yeah, absolutely [it's been tough]. There's so many factors, just in being able to stay present at practice and be able to give your all," Gabby explained.
"So when you're going through stress in your outside life, it's hard to come and stay present. But Val makes it easy. He's been such a good friend and such a good partner, and honestly, I have everyone's support. So, thank you."
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The Bachelorette host Jesse Palmer claimed last week that Gabby and Erich were "still trying" to work through things, but it appears that's no longer the case.
"She felt they weren't aligned and weren't on the same page," a source told E! News on November 4 of Gabby and Erich. "Gabby was hoping they could give each other space and work it out but ultimately decided they didn't have a future."
On October 31, Fox News asked Gabby about her relationship status after she performed with Val on "Halloween Night."
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"So I understand [fans'] concern," Gabby noted, "but we're just kind of, you know, going forward with each of our individual interests and supporting each other from afar."
That same night, Erich urged fans to vote for Gabby to advance on Dancing with the Stars via Instagram Stories, writing, "She keeps on crushin it."
Gabby has made it known her stint on Dancing with the Stars is very important to her, but Erich only sat in the ballroom for a couple of Season 31 performance shows after their engagement was made public in late September.
Gabby also hasn't posted a photo with Erich on Instagram since October 12, and eagle-eyed fans spotted Gabby without her engagement ring during two earlier weeks of Dancing with the Stars rehearsal packages and performances.
But following Gabby's sexy rumba on Dancing with the Stars' October 24 episode, Gabby insisted to Us that Erich was being "so supportive," adding, "He understands this is a performance and we have a goal."
Erich popped the question to Gabby at the end of The Bachelorette 19 although voicing days earlier how he'd rather just date the former NFL cheerleader in the real world for a while before getting engaged.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Once Gabby and Erich's relationship was made public, they were plagued with controversy and had to overcome a lot of adversity.
On The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose, Erich was asked about his ex Amanda Kaylor's claims he had continued dating her right up until he left to film the show -- which he allegedly only did for "clout" and new career opportunities -- and had hoped to resume dating her once he returned home.
Erich also sent Amanda an apology text message right after he got engaged to Gabby and filming ending in July.
Erich acknowledged on After the Final Rose that he had taken "the cowardly way" out of that relationship because instead of a brutal dumping, he went on The Bachelorette, knowing Amanda wasn't The One and he "couldn't see a future" with her.
But Amanda called Erich out on "bullsh-t" in an interview with Us after the finale.
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"When he told me, I'm like, 'Honestly, I'd be pissed too if I was her. I'd probably run to spoiler accounts trying to ruin your life too,'" Gabby admitted.
"But yeah, I was like, 'It's not [about] text messages and this or that, it's your character and how you treated her.' But, you know, it was all before the show and you move on."
Gabby said Erich had been good to her as well as honest about his past, and so she attempted to excuse Erich's mistakes by saying, "Boys are dumb."
As for why Erich reached out to Amanda again months after she had dumped him for going on The Bachelorette, Gabby explained, "I think it was his 'Hail Mary' to try and get her to not release the texts and to just end the relationship amicably."
She added, "I think his intentions were just to save his own ass."
In addition, a high school yearbook photo of Erich in blackface surfaced and offended fans while The Bachelorette was airing. Erich released a statement September 8 on his Instagram account, apologizing for his "ignorant" and "insensitive" actions as a teenager.
Erich admitted his behavior was "damaging" and he felt "deeply ashamed." He said he'll always regret the offense and believes accountability is only the first step of making a change.
Erich's blackface photo was not addressed on The Bachelorette 19 finale, which angered many people, including The Bachelorette alums Becca Kufrin and Rachel Lindsay.
But Gabby, who was engaged to Erich when the photo resurfaced, ultimately addressed the scandal in an interview with People.
"With his yearbook photo, I found out with the rest of the world, and I was incredibly shocked," Gabby told the magazine in late September.
"[I] just really had to process my thoughts and feelings," Gabby said, "and it made me really think about those scenarios independently and then think about how we can grow as a couple and learn from this."
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Still, the bubbly brunette and Erich had planned to move in together once his apartment lease in Los Angeles was up.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
