The Bachelor can be a fairytale way to fall in love, but for Ben Higgins and his fiancee Lauren Bushnell, life after the show has been a serious reality check.
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Ten months ago, Higgins proposed marriage to Bushnell on The Bachelor's 20th season finale, and then in April, the former flight attendant moved in with him in Denver, CO.
"There are so many weird elements to being in a relationship after The Bachelor," Bushnell, 26, explained.
"We've gotten in arguments like any other couple, but about some things that other couples wouldn't have to fight about, like the fact that we met when he was dating other women. You can say that's what I signed up for, but it's still real life and it's still hard."
The most difficult part of Bushnell's The Bachelor experience was presumably the fact Higgins also told his runner-up, JoJo Fletcher, he was madly in love with her. Bushnell had to deal with Higgins being in love with two women -- almost equally, as his final decision was excruciating -- when he popped the question in Jamaica.
Reports also circulated Higgins had sex with three women during his round of Fantasy Suites dates on the ABC reality dating show.
Higgins and Bushnell are therefore not ashamed to admit their relationship has needed a little help and guidance. They've been attending couples' counseling sessions at their church.
"We want to get a foundation that is healthy and pure and honest, with some help from a mediator," Higgins revealed. "Bachelor or not, our life is not easy to navigate. We have our struggles. But we won't give up. And for every argument, we're stronger for it."
"Even facing situations I didn't know if I could handle, running away was never an option for me," Bushnell added.
Higgins and Bushnell will be starring on Freeform's new Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After? reality series, which premieres Tuesday, October 11 at 8PM ET/PT. Fans will soon learn what makes the couple tick, fight and fall deeper in love.
"I am so committed to Ben," Bushnell told People. "I love him so much and at the end of the day, I want to spend my life with him."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
