The Bachelor alum Tayshia Adams is revealing the challenges that led up to her surprising split from John Paul Jones.
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During an appearance on this week's episode of Bachelor Happy Hour podcast hosted by Season 13 The Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay, Tayshia opened up about why she and John Paul broke up after a whirlwind romance that began on Bachelor in Paradise.
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Tayshia described to Rachel and the podcast's guest co-host, Season 14 The Bachelorette star Becca Kufrin, what happened between July and late October, when she and John Paul announced their breakup.
"[We progressed], honestly, it was very slow. I feel like we had just gotten back from Paradise and John was still working a 9-5. He went actually straight to work the next day after he came back from Paradise," Tayshia shared.
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"He's a financial analyst so his work is very grueling. He told me since the day we got together, he's like, 'Listen. When I'm at work, I'm at work. If I don't respond, I'm not going to respond because I'm just in it 100 percent.' And I said, 'That's totally fine,' but we're also a three-hour time difference."
Tayshia went on to say, "So we really just relied on FaceTime. John got an entirely new phone so that he could FaceTime me better... He had, like, the first iphone [ever]."
After laughing with the girls over John Paul's old phone, Tayshia continued, "Oh my gosh, so he went straight to a Verizon store, got a brand new cell phone, and he was like, 'Tayshia, I can FaceTime you now!' So that was a huge part for us."
Tayshia said during that time, however, she was "traveling a bunch."
"I just realized that last weekend was my first weekend home since mid-August," revealed Tayshia, who currently lives California. "I had been gone every single weekend -- every single minute, honestly."
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As for John Paul, he was living and working in Maryland.
"So John working 9-5 and me traveling a bunch and trying to squeeze in seeing him when I can, it just, like, it was hard! It's really, really hard," Tayshia said.
Tayshia explained she had made a long-distance relationship work before that lasted for three years, but at the time, she was in college.
"He was working and I was okay with that setting," Tayshia shared of her ex. "At this point in my life, I want somebody to be with me. I need to be able to be in the same town as him."
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Becca then chimed in, "You want to be able to have that serious relationship you've been trying to find"
"Right," Tayshia noted.
When Tayshia announced her split from John Paul on Instagram late last month, she claimed their decision to call it quits was mutual and amicable.
Tayshia, however, said she still needed some time to heal and move on.
"John and I had something incredibly special. We fell for each other in Paradise, and everything was a whirlwind after that. When the show ended, I truly went back to Maryland to see if what we had was something we could build on without cameras, a production crew, and without feeling any pressure: to simply figure things out on our own terms," Tayshia wrote at the time.
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"But the reality was, we were living on opposite coasts, and working insane schedules that made it impossible to see each other and build a life with each other."
Tayshia added she and John Paul had put a lot of effort into making their romance work in the real world.
"We truly did the best we could, but at this time have decided that what is best for the both of us is to go our separate ways. We are the best of friends and will continue to remain in each other's life because regardless of the situation, we make each other happy," Tayshia concluded.
John Paul seemed to give Tayshia's post his stamp of approval by commenting with a praise-hands emoji.
Tayshia and John Paul's split may have come as a surprise to fans given John Paul revealed to Us Weekly about a week before their breakup announcement he had just moved to Los Angeles to be closer to Tayshia and pursue an acting career.
"Tayshia is only an hour and a half away so that was a big draw and to my surprise, a talent agent reached out to me and they've been consistently getting me auditions and I'm waiting to hear back [on projects]," John Paul told the magazine.
John Paul reportedly drove cross-country with his brother and touched down in L.A. on October 17.
"I'm excited to consistently see my girlfriend who I've been dating from across the country, so that will eliminate a lot of loneliness that I experienced [living in] Maryland, working in my career as a finance analyst," John explained, adding that he was looking forward to being "a normal couple."
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John Paul and Tayshia had an unexpected but entertaining romance on Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise this past summer.
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Their dynamic was flirty, playful and fun. Tayshia once painted John Paul on the beach in a nod to the iconic movie Titanic when Jack sketched Rose, and John Paul planned a Paradise prom for Tayshia since she had sadly never attended her high school prom.
John Paul's feelings for Tayshia developed quickly and were always further along, so the couple seemed to discover depth in their relationship a little too late.
As a result, when John Paul told Tayshia that he loved her and she was the woman of his dreams, Tayshia found herself hesitant and second-guessing everything.
Tayshia therefore dumped John Paul before they could enjoy a Fantasy Suite, eliminating the possibility of an engagement.
However, when John Paul walked away from Tayshia in Mexico brokenhearted, she ran after him and sobbed uncontrollably.
"We had a whirlwind romance, and I think it took me by surprise. And when he told me he loved me, those are words I don't throw around lightly. I wasn't ready for that. I'm the last person to throw around an engagement or marriage," Tayshia, who married once and divorced, told Bachelor in Paradise host Chris Harrison during the reunion portion of the sixth-season finale.
"The right thing to do was just to let him go."
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Tayshia, however, said she couldn't stop thinking about John Paul once she returned home. Tayshia also caught herself talking about John Paul constantly with her family and friends because he had made her so happy.
"Did you make a mistake in saying goodbye?" Chris asked Tayshia.
"Yeah, very much so," Tayshia replied at the reunion.
"But then I talked to my mom about it, and I decided, 'I want to go after him'... So I flew out to Maryland... I'm a bold girl. When I got there, I was shaking. I was so nervous. I did not know what he would say, like if he'd slam the door in my face."
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Footage then played of Tayshia arriving at John Paul's house and him coming to the front door and welcoming her inside. John Paul seemed shocked to see her, but he said he wasn't mad at her because she had every right to feel the way she felt.
Tayshia explained she didn't want to lead John Paul on in Paradise but realized he pretty much checked off all her boxes when it comes to what she wants in a future partner.
"John Paul Jones, I want to explore things with you!" Tayshia said.
"Oh my gosh, I feel the same way! I still can't believe this is real right now," John Paul gushed with a huge blushing smile. "This is the most pleasant surprise I've ever had."
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John Paul then asked Tayshia to be his girlfriend, and she yelled, "Yes, I will! John Paul Jones!"
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"Yay, she's my girlfriend! Isn't she hot?!" John Paul shouted.
Tayshia and John Paul kissed when they reunited on the stage at the reunion, and they both said they were very happy doing things on their own time and in their own way.
Chris then asked John Paul if he still loved Tayshia, which prompted John Paul to get down on one knee and recite his girlfriend a poem -- after Tayshia nearly had a heart attack, according to Chris.
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