Lauren Bushnell and Ben Higgins went their separate ways about one month ago, but the blonde beauty reportedly needs more time to heal.

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"Lauren is having a hard time with her split from Ben," a source told E! News of The Bachelor couple, who publicly announced their split in May after dating for a little over one year.

"It has been a tough adjustment for Lauren to be without someone that she has shared so much time with for the past year... Her heart is still being mended."

Lauren fell in love with Ben on The Bachelor's 20th season, and he proposed marriage on the show's finale which aired in March 2016. After going public with their engagement, Lauren moved in with Ben in his Denver, CO, home.

Six months later, the pair decided to star on their own The Bachelor spinoff on Freeform, Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After?, which premiered in October of last year.

Lauren recently admitted to People she "didn't really want to do" the show and filming the series was a "high-stress situation" that definitely contributed to their breakup.

In recent weeks, Lauren is adjusting to life in Los Angeles, CA, where she lived with her family and friends prior to appearing on The Bachelor. In addition to working on her blog, Sparkle In Her Eye, Lauren is also currently pursuing a modeling career.

"Lauren has expressed to friends that she is excited for her future endeavors," the source added.

Another insider told E! News that "Ben and Lauren are each just trying to move on with their lives every day."

Lauren opened up about what went wrong in her relationship earlier this month after Ben divulged details of their split during his new Ben and Ashley: Almost Famous podcast for the iHeartRadio app with The Bachelor alum Ashley Iaconetti.

Ben revealed that the joy in his romance faded over time and so the decision to part ways was "a long time coming." Even though the split didn't come as a surprise, Ben still said calling it quits really hurt because he truly loved her.

Lauren subsequently shared that her communication with Ben broke down during Happily Ever After? and she didn't receive the support she needed. She felt "very alone," especially in light of rumors and unflattering reports in the press -- not to mention the fact Ben had called off their televised wedding as shown in the spinoff.

"I think it was just a very abnormal situation and one that [was] unfortunate," Lauren told People, referencing the rise and fall of her relationship with Ben thanks to The Bachelor experience as a whole.

"I mean, we tried. We went to couples counseling. We continued that after the show and I went to personal counseling. I feel like we gave it everything we could, just at the end of the day, it didn't feel right anymore."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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