Katie Thurston stirred up mixed feelings from fans when she went Instagram official with John Hersey.
While some fans were thrilled for Katie and felt John was a much better fit for her than ex-fiance Blake Moyes, others were suspicious of the timelines between Katie’s relationships with Blake and John.
Katie also faced criticism for not giving Blake a heads up before publicly declaring her relationship with John. Blake even spoke out and felt blindsided by Katie’s official announcement.
Now, Katie is aiming to explain why she opted not to warn Blake before telling the world about her and John Hersey’s romance.
Katie Thurston suggests warning an ex about a new boyfriend isn’t ‘normal’
Katie took to Instagram to discuss her regrets over the 12 Days of Messy challenge she did a while back where she compared her exes from The Bachelorette to Taylor Swift songs. On the final day of the challenge, she appeared to confirm that she and John had started dating.
During a recent IG video, Katie provided an explanation for those curious and upset over why she didn’t give Blake a heads up about her new relationship.
Katie admitted, “It’s a hard thing to navigate. People are always like, ‘Well, you should have told Blake.’ And it’s like, look, we talked about that. [John and I] talked about giving Blake a heads up.”
Katie explained why they decided against the heads up by sharing, “Here’s the thing that people, I think, forget: We’re just normal people trying to live normal lives. And when have you ever had to tell an ex that you’re seeing someone new? And like, how would you tell them that? And would I still have received the same amount of hate even if I did give Blake a heads up? I don’t know.”
While Katie’s explanation suggests she didn’t warn Blake about her official announcement because that’s not a normal thing for exes to do, it’s worth noting that, while they are very normal people, their relationship is unique in that it was broadcast on national television.
Any developments in Katie and Blake’s evolving relationship were bound to get people talking and speculating, which is partly why some felt Blake should’ve known before the news was broken to the public so that he could prepare for all the questions and the public spectacle of it all.
Katie Thurston says John Hersey is the Canadian she was meant to be with
Katie may regret the way she announced her relationship but she doesn’t regret falling in love with John.
During an IG live, Katie and John spoke and answered questions.
Katie joked that John attacked her with his mouth when they first kissed. John revealed he’s deathly allergic to all cats except for Katie’s cat Tommy.
And interestingly, John shared that he’s a dual citizen from Canada. Blake is also from Canada and Katie remarked that fate got it twisted because John was the Canadian she was actually meant to be with.
Reflecting on when she announced that she and John were in a relationship, Katie shared, “All I know is, in the moment, I was and am still the happiest I’ve been and I wanted to make a big, grand statement about where I’m at and who I’m with and that’s all I can do is live my truth, live my happiness.”
The Bachelorette finale airs on Tuesday, December 21 at 8/7c on ABC.