Chris Harrison Says Ben Higgins & Lauren Bushnell Were ''Fighting Through'' A Lot: How He's Reacted to More Bachelor Breakups

Reality TV couple called off their engagement this week

By McKenna Aiello May 17, 2017 9:05 PMTags

Chris Harrison is the first to admit he develops special bonds with Bachelor Nation contestants, so when another couple calls it quits, he's never happy. 

The latest pair from The Bachelor to call off their engagement is Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell, who announced their separation after just over a year together earlier this week. Sources tell E! News the split was a long-time coming, but that didn't stop the ABC series' host from expressing shock when he found out during a recent radio appearance. 

To find out how Harrison felt about Ben and Lauren's relationship, plus five more reactions from Bachelor and Bachelorette breakups over the years, scroll down: 

Ben Higgins & Lauren Bushnell

"I know that they have struggled with the show and then kind of continuing on and doing their reality show and kind of where the show stopped and then where life began," Harrison iHeartRadio's ON With Mario Lopez after the couple announced their split in May. "So I know they were fighting through a bunch of stuff.

 

He continued, "Apparently I did not see that coming. I love them both. They are really two of my favorite people we've ever had on the show and Ben is a really good friend."

Chris Soules & Whitney Bischoff

"I was really sorry to hear this morning that Chris and Whitney had ended their [2015] engagement, obviously from our last show The Bachelor…He went on to do Dancing With the Stars and moved back to Iowa and I thought they had given it a go and were going back together but apparently not," the host revealed on Hallmark's Home & Family

 

Chris discussed his personal connection the pair, adding, "And that's one of the things that's odd about the show, I know it is television and I know there are silly things that go on, but, to me, they are also real people. They're just two kids that were hopefully going to get married and they're not now and that's sad. They're still two people going through a breakup, so it's still tough. I wish them the best."

Andi Dorfman & Josh Murray

Harrison was taken aback by the duo calling it quits in 2015, telling Ryan Seacrest, "A) I was shocked and B) I was a little disappointed because I wish they just said something to me."

 

"I knew things were a little off," he then reconciled. "They were being a little awkward and weird. But you know, they're from Georgia. You know those people."

Ben Flajnik & Courtney Robertson

Just prior to Ben and Courtney ending their tumultuous relationship in 2012, Harrison cast plenty of doubt on the possibility they'd ever make it to the altar after breaking up and getting back together.

 

"Ben, to me, seemed exhausted and emotionally spent," Chris wrote in an Entertainment Weekly blog."He admitted he hasn't exactly been good to Courtney and pretty much abandoned her in her time of need. The two of them did break up in the middle of all of this, and they seemed to be in two different places as we brought them together for the interview."

 

"Now the question I'll get asked over and over is, 'Will they last?' In truth, I don't know," he admitted. "I know that it's been a rocky road for these two, but what happens from here on out is up to them. I told them it's now their decision on how they write the rest of their love story."

Emily Maynard & Brad Womack

In a sit-down with Good Morning America after Emily and Brad went their separate ways in 2011, Harrison said, "Life happens. This situation with Emily and Brad was exacerbated and definitely exploited by media and public attention. But that's not what broke them up." 

 

"When I was with Brad and Emily with South Africa," he continued, "these two were in love. They cared about each other deeply... Their love affair just didn't work out."

Juan Pablo & Nikki Ferrell

If there's one Bachelor contestant that completely baffled Harrison, it was Juan Pablo. He defended Nikki's intentions while questioning Juan Pablo's bizarre behavior during the After the Final Rose special in 2014—months before the two confirmed their breakup

 

"I knew Nikki loved him so much and professed her love and he said he liked her 'a lot,' which for most women, that's not satisfying," he explained to E! News. "For him to come out and give nothing, and I mean nothing, I thought it was kind of unsatisfying to her. It was unsatisfying to our fans, and it was confusing because I know he does feel something, so I felt like it was a scene out of Jerry McGuire. 'Help me, help you!'"

The next season of The Bachelorette premieres Monday, May 22 at 9 p.m. on ABC.