‘Bachelorette’ Stars Gabby Windey and Erich Schwer Address Their Split Following Controversy

Things didn’t turn out rosy after all for The Bachelorette’s Gabby Windey and Erich Schwer.

The pair, who got engaged during the ABC dating series’ season 19 finale that aired in September, are both speaking out after ending the relationship. Earlier this month, media outlets reported that the pair had broken up, citing unnamed sources.

Windey is currently a contestant on Dancing With the Stars, and footage that aired prior to her waltz routine with partner Val Chmerkovskiy on Monday showed her discussing the power of love. “For me, it holds a special place because I did just go through a breakup,” Windey said about the dance. “The end of our relationship happened because we weren’t completely in step and in sync with each other on our common goals or just the way we approach life. We weren’t each other’s best match.”

On Tuesday, Schwer took to his Instagram Stories to similarly break his silence about the split. “The reality is that we ultimately were not each others people — it’s hard when there isn’t one thing to put your finger on,” he wrote in the post. “We met in a very unique situation and in a very unique way and I’m grateful we did. I would never take it back.”

Schwer went on to call Windey an “amazing person” and said he hopes she “gives them hell in the DWTS finale.” The real estate analyst continued, “I have learned and grown so much this year from experiences and mistakes and I continue to better myself every day. I am hoping to take this time with my family and loved ones and focus on myself.”

Although his post did not mention specific mistakes, Schwer appeared to reference off-camera controversies that came to light as season 19 was airing. During the live portion of the Sept. 20 finale, host Jesse Palmer asked Schwer about his ex having shared texts in which he told her just before filming began on The Bachelorette that he was only doing the show for exposure. In addition, Schwer had apologized that month via social media after a photo from his high school yearbook surfaced online that showed him in blackface.

During a joint interview with co-Bachelorette Rachel Recchia, Windey told The Hollywood Reporter that the situation involving the blackface photo was “devastating” and that there was no excuse for his behavior. “It’s a chance for us to really reflect on our actions and grow from there and realize how our implicit biases still affect others,” she said at the time. “As a couple, we have lots of learning and growing to do.”

Couples who met on The Bachelorette have struggled of late to find success in the real world. Recchia and her choice, Tino Franco, split up before the finale even aired, meaning that none of the eight most recent Bachelorettes remain in a relationship with their final TV suitor. Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo, who met on the season that aired in 2017, are still going strong, while JoJo Fletcher, the Bachelorette prior to Lindsay, married her show pick, Jordan Rodgers, in May.