His words. Bachelor in Paradise’s Riley Christian is breaking his silence after his split from Maurissa Gunn, and getting candid about adjusting to the major life change.

“It takes a while for me to heal, but I thank you all for your patience. This has not at all been an easy time. This has been one of the most difficult times of my life, but as with everything I always do my best to move forward with hopeful and positive spirits,” Christian, 32, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, February 17. “But you see, I was always taught by my pops that ‘we bend but don’t break.’ But some very good people showed me otherwise.”

In his lengthy note, the reality star issued a thank you to a friend for showing up when he needed the support, writing, “To @dijahpickle, who stayed up into the early hours of the morning listening to me wail then calling me a few hours later to make sure I was awake pursuing the dreams we talked about since 1L year, thank you. It meant more than you know.”

Christian, who got engaged to Gunn, 25, after they appeared on season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise, also offered a sweet shout-out to his mother.

“To my mama, who I’ve spent more time with in the past month than I have in the past 5 years combined; the person who taught me that it’s ok to break because the good people in my life would carefully and gently help me put my broken pieces back together,” he continued. “And you did just that, mama. You are the toughest and most amazing woman I know. I don’t have the words to properly thank you for what you’ve done for me, but just know that I love you with everything that I have and I promise I’ll come home more often.”

The ABC personality went on to note how grateful he was for his late father’s influence before issuing a statement to his followers, writing, “To my very passionate bachelor nation fans, who reached out to offer support, just know that I saw and appreciated every word. Love you all. Now let’s have some fun … and be great all 2022.”

The emotional social media post comes after fans previously questioned the status of Christian and Gunn’s relationship when the patient coordinator removed all traces of her then-fiancé online. Late last month, the duo confirmed that they ended their engagement.

“We have decided to go our separate ways. Never did we imagine this, but we’ve come to a point where we both need to work on ourselves,” they shared in a joint statement on January 24. “We’ve appreciated everyone’s love and support so far throughout our journey and we just ask that you please respect our privacy as we navigate through this.”

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Since their split, the season 24 Bachelor alum has offered a glimpse at how she has been dealing with the breakup.

“These last few months haven’t been easy, but let me tell you today I feel amazing,” Gunn captioned a post earlier this month. “Taking time to heal at my own pace was the best thing I could do. I would not be where I am without the amazing support system I have. Thank you to everyone who has helped me through, and a huge s/o to @black.on_ for reminding me who the heck I was and believing in me to become the BEST version of myself. Let’s see what this year has to offer!”

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