Former Bachelor star Tara Pavlovic has announced her separation from husband Nick Shepherdson, five years after they tied the knot.
The 36-year-old fan favourite reality star, who also appeared on Bachelor in Paradise, made the sad announcement on Easter Monday, admitting it had been a tough few months.
She shared a lengthy statement on Instagram, addressing recent speculation, and why she wanted to do it in her own words after feeling like an “absolute mess”.
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“Nick and I have separated,” read the statement.
“This hasn’t been a quick or easy decision. It’s something we’ve been trying to work through for a long time, and for a while, I honestly didn’t even know what the outcome would be. But after a lot of thought, I’ve come to the decision that this is what’s best moving forward.
“The last eight months have been incredibly challenging, and I know many of you have probably felt that through my content as I have been an absolute mess. There’s been a lot happening behind the scenes, and a lot I have been processing privately.”
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Tara and Nick, who married in September 2020, share two kids aged four and three, who she stressed would always be her priority.
“As hard as this is, I truly believe this is the best thing for them, because they deserve a happy, present mum and I finally feel like I’m getting back to that place,” she continued.
The former reality star explained that in recent months her body had been “holding onto so much stress” and she was just trying to keep everything together.
“I don’t think I fully realised how much it was affecting me until I started to feel calm again,” the statement continued.
“Sometimes your body knows long before your mind is ready to accept it.”
She added that she wouldn’t go into detail about what happened and although she was an open book, she wanted to protect her children and keep things private out of respect for them.
“What I will say is I’m okay. For the first time in a long time I feel a sense of peace, and I know this is the right path forward for me and for our family. I feel excited for the future and feel really aligned after not feeling this for so long.
“Thank you for always supporting me and respecting our privacy at this time.”
In the caption alongside the post she made it clear that the details surrounding the split will remain private to put her children first and “making sure the co–parenting relationship is healthy for them.”
“Onwards and upwards! It’s time to dance in the rain,” she finished the post.
The post was flooded with support from fans and lots of love from the Bachelor community, with Brittany Hockley and Alex Nation both commenting.
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Fans had started to question if something had happened between the couple after several noticed he was missing from her social media.
It ramped up again over the long weekend just days before her announcement, after she shared a post of herself with their kids celebrating Easter.
Tara and Nick were friends for over a decade before they started dating in 2018 and tied the knot in November 2020.
Their relationship started two months after Tara split from her Bachelor In Paradise fiance Sam Cochrane.
She rose to fame on Matty J’s season of The Bachelor back in 2017.
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