Kaitlyn Bristowe is stepping back from the spotlight.
And she's doing it for what feel like the right reasons for her personally. After confirming the end of her engagement to Jason Tartick, the former Bachelorette told her followers, "See you soon. Bye for now."
"If everyone can say some sort of prayer for both of our hearts we would love that," she continued on Instagram Stories Aug. 6. "I just know social media can be awful so taking a little break."
The posts came shortly after Kaitlyn and Jason revealed their decision to split after four years together.
"After sharing the news with family and close friends first, and taking the time to properly process it ourselves, we are saddened with heavy hearts to share that we have decided to end our engagement," they wrote in a joint Instagram statement earlier that day. "We are thankful for all of you who gave us the time and space to process this life altering decision as there are many emotions and changes to navigate."
The reality stars noted that their dogs Ramen and Pinot "will continue to be cared for together as brothers."
"While their humans are no longer romantically involved," they added, "we will love and take care of them together."
And Kaitlyn and Jason expressed how they'll always hold a place in each other's hearts, regardless of their relationship status.
"Continuing our friendship is incredibly important to both of us," they wrote. "We feel grateful to be ending our engagement with love and respect for each other. It's heartbreaking and sad to say goodbye, but our care and admiration for one another will never die. We are beyond thankful for the memories made together, and for your support of us and the boys throughout the years. Moving forward we will always have that level of support for each other. We don't know what the future holds so please try to hold space for us in your hearts."
Kaitlyn and Jason had sparked split speculation on social media before announcing their breakup, with fans noting they appeared to be posting fewer pictures together over the last few months and that she was recently spotted without her engagement ring.
The Dancing With the Stars champion and the Trading Secrets podcast host started dating in 2019 months after she announced the end of her engagement to Shawn Booth, whom she'd given her final rose to on her season of The Bachelorette in 2015. Kaitlyn—who'd previously appeared on Chris Soules' season of The Bachelor—and Jason—who'd gone on Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette—got engaged in 2021. However, he indicated in June that they had "no updates" on wedding planning.
"I think about when we first started planning, and I had this big idea of a big wedding and 'gotta have your family west coast, my family east coast and we gotta have the biggest celebration,'" Jason exclusively told E! News at the time. "And I think, if anything, priorities have shifted since then to just be like, 'I don't care about the size of the wedding. I don't care where the wedding is or how it is. I just want to plan a future with us and having a family and everything else.'"
And while their relationship didn't work out, they're thankful for their journey together.
"Thank you for the support and love over the years," Jason wrote on Instagram Stories following the split. "I will forever be grateful for this beautiful person that was brought into my life…beyond heart broken. Please be kind as we go through our individual journeys to heal."