Lauren Bushnell Didn’t Want To Do ‘Bachelor’ Spinoff: ‘I Wanted To Move On With Our Lives’

Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell’s love story caught the hearts of many during their season on The Bachelor that it did not come as a surprise when they were offered to do a reality show of their own, Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After. In a new interview, Bushnell revealed that she was actually not too thrilled to be doing another reality series so soon. Unlike other reality stars, Bushnell was more than ready to settle down after she found the love of her life. However, since Higgins wanted to give it a shot, Bushnell eventually agreed.

After her stint on The Bachelor, Lauren Bushnell wanted nothing more than to move on with her life. She was eager to start this new chapter with then-fiancé Ben Higgins— but not in front of the camera.

“I didn’t really want to do it, to be honest. I wanted to move on with our life and just have a moment that was just about us,” she explained.

Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After premiered on Freeform October of last year, which was just a little more than six months after the season finale of The Bachelor. Bushnell explained that she eventually agreed to do the spinoff thinking that it was also an opportunity to spend more time and get to know Higgins. She went into Happily Ever After thinking that if she was able to survive The Bachelor, a reality show which is all about them will be a piece of cake.

Bushnell added that she wanted to be supportive of Higgins. She explained that there was so much love between them after The Bachelor, and she was eager to show him that she was there for him, even if that meant having to do another reality show.

“I was trying to be supportive of his goals and dreams, and if that meant having to do a reality show for four months [I told myself], ‘It’s not ideal, but I can do it,'” she shared.

Filming Ben and Lauren: Happily Every After, however, proved to be very difficult, especially for Bushnell. The former flight attendant shared that it was extremely stressful. It also did not help that, according to her, she was not getting the support she needed from everyone. Bushnell shared that there were times when she felt “very alone” during filming.

Perhaps one of the most awkward episodes in the spinoff was when they decided to bring JoJo Fletcher in the show, along with her fiancé Jordan Rodgers. As fans may recall, Higgins said “I love you” to both Bushnell and Fletcher during The Bachelor’s “Fantasy Suite” episode.

As much as Bushnell wanted to move on, it seems like the issue just would not die down.

“I felt like we were stuck in this place that happened seven months ago that I was trying to move forward from. There were certain situations I didn’t want to continue talking about. I understand people want to know these answers, but at the same time I really wanted to make this relationship work,” she explained.

When Lauren Bushnell and Ben Higgins confirmed the split, the Bachelor Nation was not exactly surprised. Several insiders already predicted that the couple will never make it to the altar after Higgins decided to postpone the wedding. Bushnell, however, insisted that they did everything they could to make the relationship work but it just was not meant to be.

“I mean, we tried. We went to couples counseling. We continued that after the show and I went to personal counseling. I feel like we gave it everything we could, just at the end of the day, it didn’t feel right anymore,” she said.

[Featured Image by John Lamparski /Getty Images]