Sometimes, happily ever after is more complicated than it seems.
The premiere season of USA Network's regency-themed dating series The Courtship saw Lady Nicole Remy set off to a 19th century castle, where she hoped to fall in love with one of her 16 eligible suitors.
And fall she did. Nicole ultimately chose Daniel Bochicchio, who proposed during the season finale on May 25. She said yes, and the rest was history, right?
Not exactly. In an exclusive, candid interview with E! News, Nicole revealed that she and Daniel are no longer together.
"A little over a month after filming, he officially broke up with me," Nicole said. "I was heartbroken. The feelings I had for him on the show and post-filming were always the same, and I wanted nothing more than to spend my life with him, whereas Danny told me after the show wrapped that he felt differently about me, and no longer felt like I was the one."
Fans of The Courtship may not be surprised to hear the news considering Daniel's hesitancy about the fast pace of their relationship—which, in turn, left Nicole with some doubts heading into their final night on the show—but according to Nicole, she was "all-in" on her engagement.
"There was nothing else I wanted," she told E! News. "You have to understand, though, that when you are dating on a show like this, relationships progress so much more quickly than they would in real life. So although I was shocked, I was over the moon when he proposed. This was all I ever wanted from the show, someone to love and spend the rest of my life with, and he offered this to me, so I gladly accepted."
Once filming wrapped, the couple took their relationship to the real world. One of their first stops was in New York, where Nicole met Daniel's close family.
"Between London and New York, we did sightseeing, ate at amazing restaurants—luckily finding a way to navigate his pescatarian lifestyle and my love for meat—and went on walks," she recalled. "This was exactly the life I envisioned with him: easy, fun, and adventurous."
What Nicole really grew to appreciate, though, was "how comfortable I felt around him."
"There were some nights where we laughed harder than either of us had ever laughed, and we can both agree on this," she added. "He came to Seattle to visit me where we had dinner with my family, and he also had the privilege of being one of the first people, along with me, to meet and hold my baby nephew."
But just as the couple was beginning to settle into a routine, with Nicole once again visiting New York to spend time with Daniel and his family, things took a turn for the worse. "A little over a month after filming, he officially broke up with me," Nicole revealed. "I was heartbroken."
Nicole continued, "The feelings I had for him on the show and post-filming were always the same, and I wanted nothing more than to spend my life with him, whereas Danny told me after the show wrapped that he felt differently about me, and no longer felt like I was the one."
Daniel, for his part, told E! News that he never planned for the split to happen. "I had a great experience on The Courtship, where I made new friends and got to know the incredible woman that Nicole is," he said. "At the time of the proposal, I was hopeful that Nicole and I could make this work in the real world. It was never my intention to call off the engagement or hurt her, but unfortunately the realities of modern-day life caught up to me once I got home. I know this has been a difficult journey and I'm sorry it didn't end as we all had hoped. I wish Nicole nothing but the best as we both move forward, it is what she deserves."
Today, the former couple only talks "every now and then." While there are days Nicole wants to move on, she admitted there are also days that she wants Daniel in her life again "because we did have so many happy times, and I want to feel that magic that we once shared."
Looking back at her experience on The Courtship, Nicole said it's hard not to let her mind wander to what could have been. "Before watching the show, I never regretted picking Danny," she explained. "I was in love with him and I always knew he was the one. But after reliving this heartbreak all over again, I can't help to imagine doing things differently."
However, at the end of the day, Daniel was "the only suitor I was fully in love with," Nicole said. And she doesn't regret following her heart. "I am where I am now for a reason, even if it is difficult for me to understand and process at this point. I am hopeful that my forever is just around the corner waiting and that I will someday have my fairytale ending."
That's right: Nicole still believes in true love. "I know I will find someone who means what they say, will promise me the world and deliver on it, and will make me feel happy and secure in who I am every day," she told E! News. "Unfortunately, I didn't find my true love in a castle, in England, under a glittering sky of fireworks, but I know it didn't happen there because it was meant to happen elsewhere."
Nicole also has a message for anyone who believes that their prince or princess charming isn't out there.
"Trust me, they are," she said. "Be patient, be strong, and be you. The most beautiful and attractive part of you is when you are yourself, unapologetically and you must be your biggest advocate. You must become the heroine or hero of your own life first, and then I promise you, your prince or princess will come prancing down the pavement in a carriage ready to ride off with you into your fairytale."