Kaitlyn Bristowe may still have some steam to blow off — and not in her ex-fiance’s gym.
Kaitlyn, who got engaged to her winner Shawn Booth on Season 11 of The Bachelorette, has recently opened up about believing he may have used her for “clout” toward the end of their relationship.
Kaitlyn, 37, and Shawn, 35, were engaged for a few years after the show and ultimately called it quits in 2018. While Kaitlyn was devastated by the breakup, she ended up meeting her now-fiance, Bachelorette alum Jason Tartick, just one year later.
While recently appearing on Jason’s podcast, Trading Secrets, Kaitlyn said her relationship with Shawn didn’t seem to be “going anywhere” when it was “getting down to the end.”
Shawn, who is a fitness enthusiast and personal trainer, was also gearing up to open his own gym in Nashville at the time.
“It felt like he was hanging on until his gym opened. And that’s where I felt used professionally,” Kaitlyn claimed.
The Bachelorette’s Kaitlyn Bristowe opens up about her relationship with Shawn Booth
Kaitlyn went on to discuss how she felt both she and Shawn struggled with the fame they acquired after appearing on The Bachelorette.
“This is all just from my point of view and from how I felt and things that I saw,” Kaitlyn said. “It doesn’t mean they’re right or wrong, but would you or would you not agree that when couples come off the show — whether it was a Bachelor and the woman who picked or Bachelorette and the guy she picked that — that is a really hard foundation to start on and a power struggle?”
The former couple clearly had their issues when it came to navigating life after reality television, with Shawn also previously claiming the two weren’t truly in love after all.
In a 2021 appearance on the Austin AF podcast, Shawn said of their relationship, “I guess it wasn’t [true love] because we’d still be together if it was.”
Shawn also said that the show itself makes its contestants believe “it’s love” and takes away so many important aspects of day-to-day life.
Kaitlyn is happily engaged to Jason Tartick
While things didn’t work out between Kaitlyn and Shawn, she has since found love with Bachelorette alum Jason Tartick.
Jason appeared on Becca Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette, where he was the second runner-up.
Kaitlyn and Jason met when he was a guest on her podcast, Off The Vine, in 2019, where some natural banter had friends and listeners believing the two would make a perfect match.
After a few years of dating, Jason popped the question to Kaitlyn while appearing as a guest on her podcast again, truly bringing everything full circle.
As of now, there has been no official wedding date set for the future bride and groom.
The Bachelorette premieres on Monday, June 26 at 9/8c on ABC.