Demi Burnett Reveals Why She and Kristian Broke Up: "I Was Freaked Out"

Demi Burnett made history in the summer of 2019 when she and Kristian Haggerty became the first same-sex couple in Bachelor Nation. During their season of Bachelor in Paradise, although there was some drama of course, Demi proposed to Kristian, and the two left the island happier than ever.

But now, Demi is back on Bachelor in Paradise, looking for love once again. So there must have been trouble in her paradise with Kristian, but what exactly happened? Why did they break up?

During their time on Bachelor in Paradise, Demi and Kristian were a shining example of a same-sex couple, and they made Bachelor Nation fans want more. Why can’t Paradise always be sexually fluid?

Demi had hit it off with Derek Peth, but when Kristian came to the island, Demi’s heart pulled her toward Kristian. Kristian was actually never part of the Bachelor franchise, but she was brought on because she and Demi dated before she appeared on Bachelor in Paradise.

However, their love seemed to be short-lived. In October 2019, just a few months after they left the island, they shared a joint statement on social media. “What has always been at the forefront of our relationship is love and care for one another. Our priority is doing what is best for us,” they said on Instagram. “With a heavy heart full of love for one another we have decided it is best for us to take a step back from our relationship.”

For a long time, Demi and Kristian’s statement was all the information we had about their breakup. E! News also shared what they knew from a source close to the former couple. Apparently, since they returned from Bachelor in Paradise, their relationship was “extremely rocky,” and they had been “trying to make things work for the last month.”

“They were supposed to permanently move in together in LA, and that never happened," according to the source. “They really haven't spent much time together in the same place since getting back from Paradise, and it made them rethink the whole situation. They grew apart, and once they came down from the post-vacation high, they realized they were rushing their relationship. They still love each other but felt it was best to call off the engagement for now.”

That’s not too surprising since one of the main criticisms of Bachelor relationships is that they go way too fast. Even though Demi and Kristian dated before going on Bachelor in Paradise, they still couldn’t make it work.

Demi revealed why on Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti’s podcast, Almost Famous. “Kristian is very, very loving, and she’s the best girlfriend, the best partner to be with. She would do anything for you, and I didn’t reciprocate that,” Demi explained.

“I wasn’t as good to her as she was to me. I was kind of distant. I was overwhelmed. I was freaked out.” Many of us have heard that in relationships before. But Demi went on, realizing that she just couldn’t get to the same place Kristian was in.

“She was so in it, and she was so good to me, and that would make me feel guilty because I was like, ‘I’m not feeling the same anymore, and I feel bad that I don’t feel the same anymore because I made a commitment to you. I feel like a garbage human being.’”

She added, “I wanted to be with her more than anything, and I kept trying, and I kept trying, and I just wasn’t feeling it anymore … I wasn’t anywhere near ready for what I signed myself up for and what I did.” Demi even dished that when Kristian proposed back to her on the Bachelor in Paradise reunion, Demi was annoyed with her.

“It definitely made me angry,” she revealed. “I’m a selfish person sometimes, and that was my thing, you know: 'I proposed to you.'” And to make things worse, Demi didn’t even like the ring that Kristian picked out for her. So it sounds like splitting up was the right decision.

In February 2020, both Kristian and Demi made their new separate relationships Instagram official. Kristian started dating her friend and YouTuber Taylor Blake. They’ve now been together for over a year and a half and seem to be very happy. When they started dating, Demi told Ben and Ashley, “She’s in a new relationship now, and she looks so happy, and so that makes me very happy.”

Demi also dated musician Slater Davis starting in February, and she lived with him and his family during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, quarantining with him and the family took a toll on their relationship, and they broke up after four months. So Demi is now single and back in Paradise, ready to stir up drama, make jokes, and break hearts.

Watch new episodes of Bachelor in Paradise Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.