Bachelor in Paradise alum John Henry Spurlock has spilled the "long story" about his broken engagement to Kat Izzo and how he "spiraled" in the days leading up to their split.
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"We couldn't be any more different. I knew that, she knew that, and everybody [knew that]... But it just worked," John Henry explained during the April 23 episode of the "The Ben and Ashley I: Almost Famous Podcast" co-hosted by Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti.
"She's very vocal, she's loud, she's always all over the place, and I'm grounded. It just worked... It fit."
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But Kat and John Henry announced their split on December 11 with a joint Instagram statement, only four days after Bachelor in Paradise's finale aired.
"We don't have a crazy breakup story... but this is a long story," John Henry began.
John Henry explained that when he began his career as a commercial diver about eight years ago, he planned to commit a decade to the travel-heavy and time-consuming position before looking for love and finding a more stable career.
But then John Henry met Kat on Paradise, an opportunity which had just fallen into his lap.
"I told her, 'As of right now, my career is not relationship friendly.' She knew that. But I was like, 'My plan is to get out of it anyways and do something that's easier,'" John Henry explained, noting that he "bounced around a ton" for different jobs.
After they got engaged, Kat, a travel nurse, moved to North Carolina to be closer to John Henry, even though she had been hoping to live in San Diego, CA, and he couldn't take a lot of time off from work.
"Things were going really well. Now, I have this job and then I get in this relationship. Then now it's like, 'Okay, I have to start figuring out what I'm going to do, how I'm going to make this transition to a career that is going to be a lot easier for me and her to work with,'" John Henry recalled.
"[Our romance] kind of caught me by surprise because I was going to wait two years before making that happen... So now, I'm starting to stress out about how I'm going to make this move."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOWJohn Henry said he looked for jobs in San Diego and wondered if he wanted to keep diving.
"I really started to get stressed out about how I'm going to make this work on my end," John Henry said. "I think once I really started to get stressed out, I don't know, how do I say this? I started to have my doubts," he admitted.
"I started to think, 'Am I fully ready to drop diving?' It started to worry me because my end goal was to fall in love and find a wife. I thought this whole process would be a lot easier, but it wasn't."
John Henry began wondering why he felt so much stress and why the idea of moving to San Diego was "so hard" for him when he was happy and in love with somebody.
"I started thinking to myself, 'Is this really it? Is this really what I want?' Once I started thinking that, it just kind of started spiraling for me, and then everything else just started getting more stressful," John Henry explained.
"And then, I started to see our differences a lot more. So, things just really got hard for me."
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At this time, Bachelor in Paradise was airing on ABC and Kat was receiving "so much hate" and backlash from viewers.
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John Henry continued, "It got to a point where it was just extremely hard for the both of us. And then basically, I called it quits. I said, 'This doesn't feel right. I think this should be a lot easier than what it is,' and it just, it wasn't the case."
When John Henry looked inward and asked himself what was wrong, he realized the relationship just wasn't for him.
"Once I got that in my head, it just kind of spiraled from there," John Henry said.
John Henry also confessed that he struggled with depression during and after the couple's breakup.
"I got a low from [depression], and she really needed support from me, but now I've got all this anxiety and I'm dealing with depression, and I shut down," John Henry admitted.
"I definitely wasn't there for her like I should've been."
John Henry revealed that Kat was "shocked" by his decision to break up with her and the situation "wasn't really fair" to her.
"Because at the time, I was her fiance and I was supposed to be her rock... I think the hardest thing for her was the fact I'm supposed to be her guy and I'm supposed to be there for her, and I was struggling with that because of all the issues I was dealing with myself," John Henry shared.
John Henry said he and Kat broke up right before the Bachelor in Paradise finale aired. (The finale episode showed an onscreen graphic revealing that Kat and John Henry were still together and planning a move to San Diego together).
To this day, however, John Henry said he and Kat remain friends and have an amicable relationship.
"Kat is amazing. She really is something special. She's not my longest relationship, but Kat's a catch. I'll tell you, she definitely did her part," John Henry gushed of his ex-fiancee.
"Distance is hard for everybody, but when she loves, she gives it her all, and she did everything that she needed to do -- and then some -- in order to try to make our relationship work. After our breakup, it was hard for sure, but we definitely kept in touch."
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John Henry insisted that he gave the relationship his "all" and it just "didn't work out," which is "okay."
The Bachelor in Paradise alum concluded, "I'm happy with my experience, and I wouldn't change it for anything... Someone is going to be very lucky to have [Kat]."
This isn't the first time John Henry has defended Kat. Many trolls blamed Kat -- who was called "a homie hopper" during the show -- for the breakup last year, saying John Henry had dodged a bullet.
But in December, John Henry assured fans that he didn't make a mistake by choosing Kat.
"[Kat] always put my feelings first and did everything she could to make this work, but unfortunately, that Kat, Bachelor Nation doesn't know," John Henry insisted late last year.
In response to John Henry's kind post, Kat wrote via Instagram Stories on December 13, "It's hard for me to form full sentences right now, but I can say this... I believe that people and experiences come into our lives for different reasons."
Kat shared, "There is a purpose and meaning behind our relationships. We might not know those reasons right now, but I do know that the memories we created will live on forever."
"Continuing to work towards a place of gratitude amidst the chaos," Kat added, "is how you weather any storm."
When Kat and John Henry announced their decision to call off their engagement, they said it was a choice made with "mutual love and respect."
The pair wrote on December 11, "Our relationship has been filled with wonderful memories and growth, something we looked forward to sharing with you. While our paths are taking different directions due to our career goals not aligning, we are grateful for the love and support we've received from our family, friends, and Bachelor Nation."
Kat and John Henry acknowledged how "this decision wasn't easy" for either of them, but they added it was "the right step" for the both of them as individuals.
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Bachelor in Paradise ended with Aaron Bryant and Eliza Isichei also engaged. And Kylee Russell and Aven Jones had left Mexico together and still dating.
However, all three relationships are already over.
Kylee announced her relationship with Aven had ended due to "multiple infidelities" in December, and Aven confirmed in a subsequent statement of his own that he had made "major mistakes" in his relationship.
For Aaron's part, he confirmed his split from Eliza on December 11.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
