Following a year full of ups and downs, Blake Moynes has 20/20 vision for 2022.
On Jan. 2, the former Bachelorette contestant shared his outlook on the new year with his followers on Instagram with a few shirtless selfies—both with and without his glasses—along with one black-and-white quote that read, "New year, new feels, new chances, same dreams, fresh starts."
Blake—who popped the question to season 17 star Katie Thurston during last year's shocking finale before their breakup in October—captioned the series of snaps, "Not going to the extent of saying ‘new year, new me.' More a ‘same me, but with new chances, feels & starts...' Thankful for all the lessons, growth and support in 2021. Wishing the best for you all in 2022! It's going to be a really good one. I can feel it."
As Bachelor Nation fans may recall, 2021 was quite the ride for both Blake and Katie, even after their engagement in August. In October, two months after the season finale, the couple announced their split in a joint statement.
"It is with mutual love and respect that we have decided to go our separate ways," Katie shared on Instagram on Oct. 25. "We are so grateful for the moments we shared together and the entire journey that has unfolded this year, but we ultimately have concluded that we are not compatible as life partners, and it is the most caring choice for both of us to move forward independently."
Almost a month after news of their split broke, E! News confirmed that Katie moved on to a new budding romance with another contestant from her season, John Hersey. Of the newly dating couple, a source told E! News in late November that "Katie and John were mutually in the friend zone for months," adding that "it's clear Katie has never been happier."
Following the news of his ex-fiancé moving on with John, Blake broke his silence during the Nov. 24 episode of the Talking It Out With Bachelor Nation podcast.
"I really don't think there was any physical cheating there," he said. "But there's clearly emotional for it to transition as quickly as it did. I feel stupid and foolish for allowing it to happen, I guess to some degree. And I don't know if it was partially me too. Was she, in some sense, emotionally cheating to a degree because I wasn't able to provide something with words of affirmation, which I know I struggle with sometimes? I just have so many things I'm trying to figure out why it went wrong. Why it transitioned so quickly into a new relationship."
Added Blake, "I didn't see this coming, you know."
As for Katie, she addressed the matter in an Instagram video, posted on Dec. 17. "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?" Katie said. "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."