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Bachelorette’s Gabby Windey and Erich Schwer Split Less Than 2 Months After Season 19 Finale
It’s over! Bachelorette couple Gabby Windey and Erich Schwer split less than two months after getting engaged during the season 19 finale, the former couple confirmed to People on Friday, November 4.
The former leading lady felt like she and Erich “weren’t aligned” or “on the same page” before their split, a source told E! News. “Gabby was hoping they could give each other space and work it out but ultimately decided they didn’t have a future.”
Erich’s proposal to Gabby on The Bachelorette was filmed in May and aired on September 20.
Reps for Gabby and Erich did not immediately respond to Life & Style‘s request for comment.
Rumors had been circulating since October that there was trouble between the pair while Gabby was competing on Dancing With the Stars.
Erich had previously been spotted at numerous live tapings during the early weeks of season 31 in September. The former leading lady would frequently document hanging out with her fiancé after the show, whether they were sipping wine together during a night in or going out for dinner.
However, Erich became noticeably absent as the season progressed, and the nurse stopped wearing her engagement ring from the October 24 episode onward. The Bachelor Nation couple continued to raise eyebrows when Gabby gave a cryptic response about Erich following DWTS’ Halloween episode on October 31.
“Life is just really busy for the both of us right now,” the former Denver Broncos cheerleader told Fox News on October 31. “I understand [Bachelor Nation’s] concern, but we’re just, kind of, going forward with each of our individual interests and supporting each other from afar.”
Gabby and Erich’s love story on The Bachelorette was relatively smooth sailing, as she opted to send home her other final contestants, Jason Alabaster and Johnny DePhillipo, in order to focus on her relationship with the New Jersey native.
However, they weathered quite a bit of drama off screen. Erich came under fire when a photo of him wearing Blackface in his high school yearbook circulated online.
The contestant apologized and said he was “deeply ashamed” in an Instagram statement on September 8. “What I thought at the time was a representation of my love for Jimi Hendrix, was nothing but ignorance,” he wrote. “I was naïve to the hurtful implications of my actions to the Black community and those closest to me, and will forever regret my offensive and damaging behavior.”
Gabby admitted she was “incredibly shocked” by the photo, telling People, “[I] just really had to process my thoughts and then think about how we can grow as a couple and learn from this.”
Days later, Erich’s ex-girlfriend Amanda Kaylor leaked their alleged text messages, claiming that the real estate analyst reached out to her just one day before he left for the show.
“I led her on and I want to own that. No hard feelings toward this girl at all. I understand her actions,” the New Jersey native, who called his actions “cowardly,” said during After the Final Rose. “I didn’t want to have a hard conversation. But I’ve learned a lot from it. I want to own that 100 percent. I do not have any hard feelings for this girl. It’s a mistake I made on my part.”
Gabby acknowledged Erich had been “kind of an a—hole” to his ex, but she forgave him and was planning on being with him for the long haul.
“His honesty and willing to take accountability is all I can really ask for and is something that I want in a partner,” she told host Jesse Palmer during ATFR. “So it’s been hard but when you say yes to spending the rest of your life with someone it’s not going to be easy, especially in the public eye. So we’re just trying the best that we can to make it work.”
