Trouble in Paradise: Are Bachelor Couple Brad and Emily Already Broken Up?

Couple releases joint statement on the state of their relationship as host Chris Harrison admits duo has had a bumpy ride since finale taped

By Gina Serpe Mar 15, 2011 7:03 PMTags

It's not exactly happily ever after for the latest Bachelor couple. But then again, it never is.

Yes, it appears that there's already trouble in paradise between Bachelor-no-more Brad Womack and his newly unveiled fiancée Emily Maynard—something which is no doubt unsurprising to anyone who's picked up a tabloid.

So what's the problem this time? Are Brad and Emily the latest lovebirds to fall prey to the Bachelor curse? And are they even still together?

Let's start with the last question: yes. At least, for now.

"At long last, Emily and I can be open to the world and each other about our relationship," the duo—who interestingly enough are defying the typical press-hungry reality couple route and not making themselves available to the media—said in a joint statement.

"Though we are madly in love, it has been a bumpy couple of months for us and our priority right now is to focus on our relationship. We hope that you can respect our privacy as we return to normalcy and begin our off-screen lives together."

Hot damn, you mean these two crazy kids are actually more interested in their relationship than the publicity said relationship could yield them? That's just crazy enough to work!

Host Chris Harrison, who also didn't back down from sugarcoating the couple's less than smooth ride together, also seems convinced that the two-time Bachelor and the pretty single mom have what it takes to make it.

"They're already having their troubles, which doesn't bode well," he told E! News' Ryan Seacrest this morning. "In particular, this couple is a little bit bigger than them—this is what I think is really troubling Emily, it's not just her, it's her daughter, and she thinks very highly of that.

"She's not just going to up and move to Austin like some single girl could. It's her and Ricki. There's a lot more to think about than just her and Brad."

He said much of the same to E! News, saying that "as much as [Womack] wants to be a dad, he's not. Your life is not your own, decisions are not your own. There's no such thing as selfishness. I really respect the fact that she threw the brakes on this thing."

Harrison went on, telling Seacrest that Maynard's daughter, and the idea of whether Brad is ready to become a full-time father, was one of the issues they were dealing with. (And also one of the issues that featured prominently on last night's finale.)

"It's been extremely hard," Harrison said. "They actually broke up a couple of times. They both are incredibly stubborn, they're very much alike and neither one of them give. And they've had some knock-down drag out fights."

Still, while their troubles aren't entirely in the past, Harrison admitted that both are "so bound and determined to make this work" and that their connection is undeniable.

"They're doing great, he told me they couldn't be happier and today now it's them as a couple against the world," Harrison told E! News. "It's so easy to say it won't work, because statistically it won't. [But] just knowing them...I'm not unbiased, I want them to do well, I love Brad, I love Emily, I want them to do well. I know they want to make this work."

Right now, Harrison said, the couple is holed up together in Austin "trying to repair what they've just gone through."

"I'm not worried about them. Obviously the press is gonna find them, the tabloids are gonna find them, but right now they know what's important. They definitely have a good perspective."

We're rooting for you guys!