Bachelorette: Shawn Booth Refers To Kaitlyn Relationship As ‘Trauma Bond’

The Bachelorette‘s Shawn Booth revealed that his relationship with ex-fiancée Kaitlyn Bristowe was held together through the trauma they experienced from the show. The former couple met while Shawn competed for Kaitlyn’s heart during her season of the ABC reality series in 2015. The two quickly fell for each other, despite Kaitlyn’s strong bond with Nick Viall, who entered the season halfway through. In the end, Kaitlyn chose Shawn over Nick, and the pair was engaged by the end of her season of The Bachelorette.

Kaitlyn and Shawn were together for almost four years when they announced their sudden split in 2018. The couple realized they were not as compatible as they thought, and Shawn moved out of their shared home in Nashville. A few months after their split, Kaitlyn met Jason Tartick from Becca Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette and immediately hit it off. Less than three years later, Kaitlyn and Jason announced their engagement.

In a recent interview on the Austin AF podcast, Shawn made a rare appearance where he spoke about his relationship with Kaitlyn. Despite being engaged for more than three years, Shawn doesn’t have many fond memories of being with the former Bachelorette. “I think love is a loose term looking back at it,” he said during the November 18 episode. “Of course, you’re thinking it’s love. But you’re put in a situation where you’re completely secluded from the world.” While Shawn now believes he wasn’t truly in love with Kaitlyn, who is now engaged to Jason, he did admit that the two shared a strong connection. He said the couple had a fun time together, which they showed on social media, but their relationship wasn’t the same behind closed doors. “I think there was some sense of a trauma bond, right? I’ll always be connected to her in that way,” Shawn explained.

Shawn also blamed having to keep their engagement a secret until the finale aired for affecting their relationship negatively. As a result, Shawn felt as though their engagement didn’t seem real. While competing on The Bachelorette, the personal trainer was certain he and Kaitlyn would end up together. He knew that because producers were constantly trying to keep them apart so she could develop relationships with the other guys. By the end of the season, Shawn was so “worn down mentally, emotionally, physically” that he almost didn’t propose to Katilyn. The pressure from the show was too much for Shawn, and splitting up was clearly for the best. Now Shawn is dating again but refrains from posting his relationships on social media to avoid the pressures he felt while with Kaitlyn.

Despite having a seemingly great relationship, Shawn admitted that he and Kaitlyn were never going to work out. He felt the pair bonded over the trauma they endured from the show, which kept them together. While he will always have a soft spot for Kaitlyn, he feels the relationship was never meant to last.

The Bachelorette airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

Source: Austin AF/Apple Podcasts

About The Author