Joan Vassos is ready to talk about why she and Chock Chapple called off their engagement two years after she handed him her final rose.
"The Golden Bachelorette" star, who announced her split from her fiancé on Instagram Nov. 6, offered insight into the decision in a Nov. 13 interview with People.
"I grew immensely in that time," she told the outlet. "I figured out what I need from a relationship. I figured out that I can actually fall in love with somebody again. It wasn't like any part of this relationship was ever miserable. It's just we weren’t each other's people. I’m grateful for the whole thing, even though the ending wasn't what I wanted."
Before announcing the split on social media, the school administrator from Rockville, Maryland, was
very nervous because, as a self-described "people pleaser," she "felt really, really, really guilty about disappointing people."
"I do feel guilty that we broke up. I feel like I let a lot of people down," she added. "Right when we first got engaged and came off the show, I got so many messages from people saying, 'You’ve given me hope that there’s a second chapter in my life. I’m going to get back on a dating site, I’m going to make an effort to meet somebody.' That’s exactly what I wanted, and I hope that these people keep going in that right direction and that I didn’t shatter their hopes."
However, Vassos said it wasn't fair for her or Chapple to stay in a relationship that neither thought would last in the long run. She remains optimistic for what's next.
Joan Vassos felt pressure being the first 'Golden Bachelorette'
Before "The Golden Bachelorette" Season 1 began in 2024, Vassos said she felt a lot of pressure, particularly because "The Golden Bachelor" couple Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist had already announced they were getting divorced on "Good Morning America" just months after the Season 1 finale aired in November 2023.
"It took all that hope away from people," Vassos said. "My season was next, so I felt so much pressure to be successful. Luckily, I had this cast of amazing men, many of whom I still am in contact with. Then I felt the pressure that everybody likes this really happy ending that’s kind of wrapped up in a bow, and that is an engagement."
When Chapple proposed to Vassos on the show, she thought to herself: "I think I can do this. I’m ready to make this leap of faith. I actually have enough faith in this relationship to think that it might really succeed, that we might really get married."
"If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out," she added.
Vassos also explained that it's incredibly difficult to get to know someone on reality TV because "nobody is completely themselves on camera."
"Then, you do these happy couple visits for the four months leading up to your finale. So while the show is airing, you get to spend time together in L.A. in these secret houses. Then, you live life out in the world," she explained. "I still had a job and Chock did too, so your life is exploding a little bit, you have this new relationship that you need to concentrate on, and all of a sudden there are just not enough hours in the day."
Joan Vassos explains what she wants from her next relationship
Remaining hopeful for another romance, Vassos said, "I don’t feel like just because this relationship didn’t last that I don’t have a relationship in my future."
She said she wants her next partner to be funny like her late husband John, who died in 2021 from pancreatic cancer.
While she doesn't want to compare her next partner to John, she emphasized that she loves a good sense of humor. "It just brings me joy," she said. "I’m kind of a serious person, so I love having somebody that takes me out of my own element and makes me laugh. I also love a good banter."
Vassos said she's going to hold off before finding another partner as "it sounds a little daunting to me right now."
"I just feel like I need to," Vassos continued. "I don’t want to say heal because I’m not broken. There’s nothing wrong with me. I just am not ready. It’s a little bit of a job. It’s not like when you’re young where you can go to a bar and everybody there is single. Dating is very different at my age, and it takes a lot more effort."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Golden Bachelorette's Joan Vassos reveals why Chock Chapple engagement ended
