The Bachelorette couple JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers admit their relationship was tumultuous and almost came to an end after he proposed marriage.
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JoJo's season was recapped into a three-hour episode of The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons -- Ever! on Monday night, and the couple videochatted with host Chris Harrison at the end of the special to provide fans with an update on how their relationship is now, nearly four years later.
Although JoJo and Jordan gushed they've been doing "great" and just built their first home together in Dallas, TX, the couple admitted they had a bumpy road to happily-ever-after.
"It's been crazy," Jordan, 31, told Harrison from his home with JoJo.
"You get a lot of perfection on the show. You get amazing dates. You see the best of someone. Sometimes that's not real life and you go through ups and downs, and we've gone through our fair share of ups and downs."
"We've been super open about this, Chris, and you know this -- our first year after the show was very difficult," JoJo, 29, confirmed. "We went through a lot of different struggles."
JoJo confessed that her relationship almost didn't make it.
"There was a point in that first year where it was like, 'Woah, can we even do this?'" JoJo shared.
"We sat down together and we were like, 'We love each other, but is that enough right now?' It was a fork in the road and we chose to stay together and we're better for it, but it was not easy," Jordan admitted.
"The love I have for you now, [JoJo, after what] we've been through... is only going to get more with kids, marriage and everything that comes with that. But it's pretty crazy to look back."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWJoJo apparently felt she had a lot of growing to do after starring on The Bachelorette but now she's ready for marriage.
"When I started this whole thing, I was young and I felt like I was ready. But listen, we've taken our time and it's four years later and I'm totally ready now," JoJo said.
Two months after The Bachelorette finale aired on ABC, JoJo and Jordan denied rumors they had split and insisted they were "happy" together.
"We don't let it bother us," JoJo told Us Weekly in October 2016.
Prior to the couple's denial, reports had circulated for months that JoJo and her fiance were broken up and faking their relationship in the public eye to make money off the fame they had acquired from appearing on The Bachelorette and getting engaged.
The couple had a blowout fight on the night their The Bachelorette finale aired on August 1, 2016, according to Life & Style, and they almost missed a schedule appearance because they were arguing so much.
Jordan was also repeatedly at the center of the gossip and negative press.
From alleged active accounts on dating apps to accusations blasted all over social media by his ex-girlfriend Brittany Farrar, Jordan had to constantly defend himself as well as bob and weave rumors.
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RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
A source told Us in June 2016 that JoJo received "multiple warnings" from friends that Jordan -- the brother of NFL star Aaron Rodgers -- had shady motives for appearing on The Bachelorette.
After The Bachelorette finale aired, Jordan denied Brittany's claims and cheating speculation when questioned about the allegations by Reality TV World.
"There's been a lot of really harsh and very untrue allegations along the way. So, no more do I focus on one than the other," Jordan told Reality TV World.
"It's about moving forward. And any of that is so not true that it's not even worth time to do that. I'm just happy to start this new life with my fiancee, and that's what I'm focusing on.
And JoJo admitted to Reality TV World she and her new fiance had "tough conversations" at the time but she took what Jordan's exes said "with a grain of salt."
"As much as I thought I was prepared for critiques from people, I didn't prepare well enough for this. It was hard. There were so many nights where I struggled with it," JoJo said.
Brittany later shared alleged proof of Jordan's unfaithfulness on Instagram through a video showing a redacted receipt for an expensive $229 bouquet of flowers -- complete with a sweet, personal message -- Jordan allegedly sent a girl in Baton Rouge, LA, in June 2014.
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Brittany attempted to prove she was still dating Jordan at the time by posting a text-message exchange between them that was dated one day prior to the flower delivery.
A source told In Touch Weekly in August 2016 that JoJo was "freaking out about Jordan's ex-girlfriend's rant" and it was "making her question their entire relationship."
"[JoJo] is devastated that he could have treated another woman like this," the source added, "because if he could cheat and lie to his girlfriend of three-and-a-half years so easily, why wouldn't he do the same to her?"
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A friend of JoJo's also told the magazine things were "really nasty" between JoJo and Jordan behind the scenes and the pair were fighting constantly.
"I'm sure that people will see them arguing in public soon. There's no way JoJo and Jordan will get married," the friend said at the time.
According to OK! Weekly, JoJo's friends and family were actually urging her to dump Jordan.
"They don't want to see her get hurt or embarrassed any more than she already is. She's staying in the relationship for the endorsement deals and money," an In Touch source told the magazine.
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About one month later, Life & Style reported JoJo kicked Jordan out of their home in Dallas.
"She doesn't feel comfortable living under the same roof as him anymore," an insider said in September 2016.
The former The Bachelorette star reportedly forced Jordan out of their place before he left to begin a new sportscasting job for ESPN's SEC Network.
"JoJo can't trust Jordan and feels she's been betrayed," the insider said.
"So she told him to take his stuff and get out... JoJo knows she made a mistake picking Jordan, but is staying in the relationship hoping she'll make money and land endorsement deals with him."
However, JoJo and Jordan were able to move on from the mess and maintain a united front, and Jordan proposed marriage for the second time with a new engagement ring in August 2019.
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"We were supposed to get married a couple of weeks ago, unfortunately that didn't get to happen because of COVID, so we're kind of resetting that excitement again because we pushed it to 2021," JoJo explained on The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons -- Ever!.
Prior to starring on The Bachelorette, JoJo competed for Ben Higgins' heart on The Bachelor's 20th season and finished as the runner-up behind Lauren Bushnell. (Ben and Lauren have since broken up and moved on with new relationships).
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
