Kylee Russell is breaking down the surprising timeline in her rekindled relationship with her Bachelor in Paradise season 9 costar Aven Jones.
“Recently, Aven and I decided to part ways,” Kylee, 26, said on the Wednesday, July 24, episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast, adding that the “door is closed” in their romance.
Despite thinking that she couldn’t be with him after his alleged “infidelity,” Kylee said it’s “a lot easier said than done, especially when you love someone so much like I did Aven.” (One day after the BiP finale aired in December 2023, Kylee shared that the pair called it quits because he cheated. Us Weekly reached out for comment at the time.)
After their initial split in December 2023, Kylee and Aven, 30, began pursuing a relationship again. “In the beginning, he was doing the work. He was going to therapy, ensuring that my move to San Diego went smoothly,” Kylee recalled. “He was there for me, he was providing for me, it was great.”
Kylee added that there was a “small part” of her that was holding back in the second go-round with Aven so she asked for “time” to get back to where she was before.
“About a month ago, we had a big tough conversation with him expressing to me, ‘Hey, I’m doing all of this. I want this to work but I still feel like you’re holding back. I don’t know if this is going to work anymore,’” Kylee recalled Aven telling her, adding that it was their one year anniversary of meeting on BiP.
For weeks after their heart-to-heart, Kylee said their relationship was “really, really good” and she was considering going public with their rekindled romance. But Kylee was hesitant about hard-launching their new status because of the “public scrutiny,” noting that the last time she went public with Aven the “world shattered in front of me.”
However, before she could bring their romance into the spotlight, she recalled feeling like there was an “energy shift” with Aven.
“He chose to end things,” she recalled of their breakup earlier this month. Kylee added that she was “shocked” by his decision because they had previously had a similar conversation and were doing “so good” after talking.
“I don’t really want to speak for him but basically what he had to say was some days he felt he would wake up and he would think he had such great hopes for us, think we would get to where we needed to be to have a forever future together,” she said. “Other days he woke up and he was just like, ‘There’s much damage that I have done personally, I don’t think our relationship will ever recover from that.’”
She continued, “He said I didn’t deserve someone who was unsure about me and that’s why he was taking a step back.”
While Kylee initially wasn’t sure how she was “going to survive” the breakup, now, Kylee said she’s in her “healing era” and spending time in North Carolina with her family.
“I don’t have any hate in my heart towards him,” she said. “I know he’s a good person and I know he wants to be a good person and he’ll be that right person for someone else, just not me. I wish him nothing but the best.”
Kylee and Aven met during BiP season 9, leaving the beaches of Mexico dating. Days after the finale aired in December 2023, and Kylee announced their split, Aven took to his own Instagram Story to issue a statement.
“After careful thought and consideration into writing this, I want to first and foremost apologize to Kylee, my family and my friends for my actions,” Aven wrote. “I have made major mistakes in the relationship and hurt someone who was very close to me.”
He continued: “At this time, I am in an extremely, extremely low place trying to work on myself. I am doing my best to find healing, find myself and be a better person. Please have grace and respect for Kylee and her family through this difficult time.”
