Why did Riley Christian, Maurissa Gunn split? 'Bachelor in Paradise' pair got engaged 6 months ago
Riley Christian and Maurissa Gunn of 'Bachelor in Paradise' fame split after six months of engagement on January 24. They were the first Black couple to be engaged on 'Bachelor in Paradise', and their breakup has left the majority of fans distraught.
"We have decided to go our separate ways. Never did we imagine this, but we've come to a point where we both need to work on ourselves," in a joint statement, they informed People. "We've appreciated everyone's love and support so far throughout our journey and we just ask that you please respect our privacy as we navigate through this."
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Maurissa and Riley's engagement in August 2021 marked a significant milestone in 'Bachelor in Paradise' history. They previously told People that they had no idea their relationship milestone was crucial for the hit ABC show. "Going into this, I guess the social media and the media is kind of what let us know that we are the first Black couple to come out of this," Maurissa said in October 2021 to People. "Because we just went into it [with an] open mind. Our hearts were open and we just happened to meet each other and we look alike, which is even better!"
After the Christmas holidays, Maurissa erased all of her Instagram photographs of Riley, including one of the couple celebrating Christmas together and talks of a breakup began to emerge. Both of them have been known to send out certain cryptic tweets. "Try not be stagnant when facing obstacles that are beyond your control," Riley tweeted on Jan. 6. "Just do what you can. That way, when things finally do fall into place, you'll be able to hit the ground running." The couple has yet to publicly announce their split, though. For the time being, they prefer to maintain their seclusion in order to deal with the crisis on their own.
Try not be stagnant when facing obstacles that are beyond your control. Just do what you can. That way, when things finally do fall into place, you’ll be able to hit the ground running.
— Riley Christian (@RileyDChristian) January 6, 2022
Maurissa wrote in her own tweet in late December, "Sometimes you just have to see people for who they are, and not the potential they have."
Sometimes you just have to see people for who they are, and not the potential they have.
— Riss➰ (@Rissa_Gunn) December 30, 2021
Many of the fans had an outburst of varied reactions and one of them read as, "Awwww. They were cute together. | Maurissa Gunn, Riley Christian Split After 'BiP' Finale," ending with a Bachelor Nation hashtag.
Awwww. They were cute together. | Maurissa Gunn, Riley Christian Split After 'BiP' Finale #BachelorNation https://t.co/HGztVuwWIQ
— Raven James (@RavenCubed) January 25, 2022