The Bachelorette's Devin Addresses Jenn Tran Split, Says 'No Matter How Hard I Was Trying, It Wasn't Good Enough'

One week after Bachelor Nation turned on Bachelor season finale, Devin Strader breaks his silence about his messy breakup with Jenn Tran.

In a 13-minute video posted on his Instagram, Devin reflected on his controversial split with Jenn and opened up about the factors that led to the decision to end their relationship. On the Sept. 3 After the Final Rose special, Jenn called out Devin for multiple transgressions — including breaking off their engagement over a phone call.

The trucking company owner, 28, noted that the relationship consisted of “two people” and admitted that it was “incredibly difficult” to manage his emotions towards Jenn when they ended the season.

“After the show, we both had missteps, we both had flaws,” he explained in the video. “We’ve both had our mistakes along the way, but the love that Jenn and I had, and especially the love that I had for Jenn, is not something I try to lie about.”

Jenn Tran and Devin Strader on the After the Final Rose special.

Disney/John Fleenor

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Devin said his love for Jenn wasn’t something he could “fake every day,” but that figuring out what their relationship would look like in real life “was an uphill battle.” Despite his intentions to provide “support and love in the best possible way”, he had a “sense of anxiety” when it came to his relationship with Jenn.

“I feel like no matter what I did and … no matter how hard I tried, it wasn’t good enough, no matter how much effort I put in. It continued to take an emotional toll on me,” he admitted. “At that point, I really had to make a decision just based on my own happiness, because again, at the end of the day, what’s best for me is what’s best for me.”

Elsewhere in the video, Devin also addressed several claims Jenn made during the After the Final Rose special. During the episode, Jenn revealed that Devin began to withdraw and refused to go to couples counseling after she suggested that the two “just date” instead of fulfilling their engagement. To Bachelor Nation’s shock, she even claimed that Devin immediately went after Maria Gorgas after their split – Jenna’s second contestant on Joey Graziadei’s season and who was rumored to be the first choice Bachelor.

(L) Devin Strader and Jenn Tran.

DISNEY/John Fleenor

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“I want to go ahead and make it clear that I never refused to go to couples counseling,” Devin said. “I actually made multiple appointments with her and we went to a few sessions together. On top of that, Jen and I were also doing individual counseling sessions with our therapists from the show at the time.”

He claimed he “stopped going to couples counseling” when Jenn fired their mutual therapist without consulting him. When he asked for an explanation, she allegedly said that she “didn’t like it” and that she was “not experienced enough”.

Devin also addressed his “bad decision” to follow Maria. Although he takes “full responsibility” for his actions, Devin said he and Jenn were fighting at the time and he made an “emotionally charged decision” to start following.

(L-R) Jenn Tran, Devin Strader and Maria Gorgas.

Disney/John Fleenor; Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

I apologized and she was the only one who needed an apology, he continued. “At that moment, I realized that I made a mistake and I’m sorry for it. Looking back, I realize that I made a bad decision and I shouldn’t play with people’s feelings, especially when it comes to their emotions.”

While trying to take responsibility for his actions, Devin denied breaking up with Jenn out of the blue. He claimed that he tried countless times to meet in person, but she refused.

“The day we broke up, I wasn’t acting weird. I really wanted to get to that happy couple [visit] and have that conversation with her in person. I tried to meet her,” he explained, claiming that Jenn said she didn’t want to go “if it’s just going to be a breakup.”

Bachelorette Jenn Tran Speaks Out After Split With Devin Strader: ‘He Regretted Getting Engaged’

“So I didn’t really know what else to do. She kind of forced my hand,” he added.

Devin assured fans that the breakup was not “out of malice,” but that the separation was “an important thing that I felt I needed to do.”

“As hard as it is to break up, you know, it’s a part of life, and I’ve been trying to go through those life paths for myself and figure those things out for myself,” he continued. “I’m not trying to play the victim here. I really, really don’t want to.”

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The reality star explained that he wanted to “try to explain his feelings” because his truth “is important even in this situation.”

“The things that have been said about our relationship have been pointed and incredibly inaccurate, and I just wanted to do my best and I thought it was best to talk about the circumstances of the situation,” Devin said before addressing Jenn, “And Jenn, I’m really sorry for the way things turned out. My intentions were never to hurt you and I’m sorry for the hurt I caused.”

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Source: HIS Education