Katie Thurston Bought Now-Ex-Boyfriend John Hersey a Van and Let Him Quit His Job Before Their ‘Crash and Burn’ Breakup
Katie Thurston, a Bachelor franchise star, is opening up about her past dating experiences and revealed the reason why she won’t ever look to a fellow Bachelor Nation member as a potential boyfriend again.
Katie Thurston’s time on ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette’
Thurston first appeared in the 25th season of The Bachelor, finishing in 11th place. She soon became a fan favorite due to her commitment to standing up to bullying in the contestants’ house.
In 2021, she was announced as the lead of the 17th season of The Bachelorette. During her time on the show, Thurston met Blake Moynes, who competed for the reality star’s heart.
Her relationships with ‘Bachelor’ stars Blake Moynes and John Hersey
Thurston made Moynes her final choice, and the two got engaged at the end of the show. However, their relationship didn’t last, and the pair announced their split in October of 2021. It didn’t take Thurston long to find love again, though.
A month after her break up with Moynes, Thurston revealed she was dating John Hersey. Hersey was also a contestant on her season of The Bachelorette, but he was eliminated in Week 2.
The couple broke up earlier this summer, and Thurston recently revealed some of the details behind their split while appearing on the Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe podcast.
“He dumped me,” Thurston shared. “Technically, we actually broke up twice. The first time no one knew about. … Like a week or two [later], we kind of worked through it and decided to get back together, so I thought we were golden.” She continued:
“I think it was just unavoidable. … Like, we just got [into] a conversation and at one point, I just said to him, … ‘I know more reasons why you don’t like me than why you love me,’ and that’s a really sh—- feeling.”
Why Katie Thurston and John Hersey called it quits
One of the main reasons why Thurston and Hersey ultimately called it quits? The Bachelorette star revealed that, while relationships always require some give-and-take, her relationship with Hersey felt unbalanced.
“He said, ’I just really need someone who can enjoy my passions and who wants to watch [me] surf, maybe learn surfing with me,” she explained.
“I look at him and I go, ‘You realize I jumped out of a f—— plane three times … to join him in his passions. Eight hours of ground school, all these things to partake in ‘his passion’ and somehow that was completely ignored and now we’re focused on surfing. At that point, I knew nothing I did was going to ever be good enough.”
Thurston continued. “It was really a blessing in disguise. … I think I would have stuck it out a lot longer than I should have. So like, now I’m in a very good place about it. Then, I was probably the saddest I’ve ever been.”
Will Katie Thurston date anyone from Bachelor Nation again?
In addition to training to skydive, Thurston also contributed the cash for Hersey’s travel van and supported him after he quit his job to become a full-time influencer. With her experiences with Moynes and Hersey, it’s no surprise that Thurston no longer wants to date anyone who has been part of The Bachelor.
“I am not dipping into that pool anymore,” she laughed. “I don’t want to generalize that much, but it’s a certain type. Either they’re a certain type, or the show changes them a little bit, and they become a certain type. … I’ve already done it twice. I’m not interested and, like, there’s been some that have slid into my DMs, and in talking to them, it’s just, like, so cringy.”
