Nick Viall is trying to move forward from his breakup with Vanessa Grimaldi with the help of others.
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The Season 21 The Bachelor couple announced their split on Friday, August 25, but Nick told Us Weekly that he is "of course" still friends with his ex-fiancee.
"I still love her very much," Nick admitted. "I'm not afraid to say that."
Nick, 36, and Vanessa, 29, decided to call off their engagement and go their separate ways about five months after The Bachelor finale aired in March.
"I'm always trying to stay busy, especially right now with things," Nick told Us. "My friends, my family, and Vanessa and I are still very much each other's support system. We're trying to do that and it's a challenge at times, but we still realize that we're there for each other."
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The former software salesman from Wisconsin added, "In times that aren't great, you have to kind of spend time with your loved ones."
Shortly after The Bachelor wrapped, Vanessa -- a special education teacher from Montreal, Canada -- supported Nick in Los Angeles during his stint on Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars. And in recent months, the pair was spending most of their time together in Los Angeles, attending red carpet events and such.
"I'm lucky enough to have friends outside of L.A. I'm heading back to Chicago this weekend, which I think will be good for me," Nick explained.
"I'm trying to stay positive, being around friends and family. It helps me stay positive. And you know, what helps me is just kind of believing in yourself. It's obviously easy to get insecure and feel bad about yourself. You get in your head about things when things aren't working out for you."
Nick, however, said he "of course" still believes in love because he was "still lucky enough to find it with Vanessa."
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Nick talked to the magazine several hours after Vanessa expressed her feelings Monday on Instagram with the following post: "It's okay to feel broken. It's okay to cry. It's okay to lean on a friend. In the end, it will always be okay."
Sources told Entertainment Tonight that the couple was doomed from the start because they fought often and had similar stubborn and feisty personalities.
Nick and Vanessa were also always open and honest about their relationship struggles, telling the press they had a lot to learn about each other and work through.
"It's with a great amount of heartbreak for the both us as we have decided to end our engagement," the pair told E! News in a statement last week.
"We gave this relationship our all and we are saddened that we did not get the fairytale ending we hoped for. We will continue to be there for each other no matter what. This hasn't been an easy decision, however, as we part ways, we do so with lots of love and admiration for each other."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski