'The Bachelorette' star Gabby Windey reveals why she and Erich Schwer split and broke up

The Bachelorette star Gabby Windey finally explained why she and Erich Schwer broke up during Monday's live Dancing with the Stars Season 31 episode.


Earlier this month, E! News reported multiple sources claiming Gabby had dumped Erich and the pair's relationship was over less than two months after The Bachelorette's Season 19 finale aired on ABC, and then People confirmed the report on November 4.

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Neither Gabby or Erich, however, released a statement to the press, and so Bachelor Nation and fans everywhere were left wondering what happened and what went wrong in their relationship.

"We weren't each other's best match," Gabby, 31, said of Erich, 29, during Monday's Dancing with the Stars episode on Disney+.


Gabby opened up to her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy about her split from Erich during a rehearsal for the semifinals.

When preparing for their first of two full dances, Val asked Gabby to channel romance and love -- a mix of joy and pain -- for their waltz set to "I Am Kissing You" by Des'ree.

"For me, [the love theme] holds a special place because I did just go through a breakup," Gabby shared with Val.

"The end of our relationship happened because we weren't completely in step and in sync with each other on our common goals or just the way we approach life. We weren't each other's best match."

Since Gabby and Erich are no longer together, the ICU nurse and former NFL cheerleader had to find a different inspiration for her waltz.


"I'm just so grateful that my dad and my stepmom encompass so many fundamentals and values that I look for in a relationship -- never placing blame or [saying] you did this or that," Gabby explained.

Gabby said small annoyances in life, such as her dad leaving the microwave dirty, don't ultimately matter when two people are in love.

"I want to channel that kind of everlasting love in this dance," Gabby concluded. "Val created a beautiful routine that shows what being in sync is all about."

Gabby hoped to show her "really strong connection" with Val in their dancing.

"We really need to hone in on our special chemistry on a deeper level, and hopefully that's enough to put us through to the finale," Gabby said in the rehearsal footage.


After Gabby and Val performed their "flawless" waltz, Dancing with the Stars co-host Alfonso Ribeiro asked The Bachelorette star how hard it's been to compete on such an intense show when she's also dealing with a broken heart.

"Yeah, absolutely [it's been tough]. There's so many factors, just in being able to stay present at practice and be able to give your all," Gabby explained.

"So when you're going through stress in your outside life, it's hard to come and stay present. But Val makes it easy. He's been such a good friend and such a good partner, and honestly, I have everyone's support. So, thank you."

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Gabby and Val ultimately received two perfect scores for their two dances of the evening, and voters advanced the celebrity and professional pairing to next week's Dancing with the Stars finale.


Considering The Bachelorette host Jesse Palmer had said last week that Gabby and Erich were "still trying" to work through things, Gabby confirmed on Monday night that her engagement has ended.

"She felt they weren't aligned and weren't on the same page," a source told E! News on November 4. "Gabby was hoping they could give each other space and work it out but ultimately decided they didn't have a future."

On October 31, Fox News asked Gabby about her relationship status after she performed with Val on "Halloween Night."

Gabby explained of her then-relationship with the real estate analyst from New Jersey, "Yeah, life is just really busy for the both of us right now."

"So I understand [fans'] concern," Gabby noted, "but we're just kind of, you know, going forward with each of our individual interests and supporting each other from afar."


That same night, Erich urged fans to vote for Gabby to advance on Dancing with the Stars via Instagram Stories, writing, "She keeps on crushin it."

Gabby has been a frontrunner on Dancing with the Stars, but Erich only sat in the ballroom for a couple of Season 31 performance shows after their engagement was made public in late September.

Gabby also hasn't posted a photo with Erich on Instagram since October 12, and eagle-eyed fans spotted Gabby without her engagement ring during two earlier weeks of Dancing with the Stars rehearsal packages and performances.

But following Gabby's sexy rumba on Dancing with the Stars' October 24 episode, Gabby insisted to Us that Erich was being "so supportive," adding, "He understands this is a performance and we have a goal."

Erich popped the question to Gabby at the end of The Bachelorette 19 although voicing days earlier how he'd rather just date the former NFL cheerleader in the real world for a while before getting engaged.

Once Gabby and Erich's relationship was made public, they were plagued with controversy and had to overcome a lot of adversity.


On The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose, Erich was asked about his ex Amanda Kaylor's claims he had continued dating her right up until he left to film the show -- which he allegedly only did for "clout" and new career opportunities -- and had hoped to resume dating her once he returned home.

Erich also sent Amanda an apology text message right after he got engaged to Gabby and filming ending in July.

Erich acknowledged on After the Final Rose that he had taken "the cowardly way" out of that relationship because instead of a brutal dumping, he went on The Bachelorette, knowing Amanda wasn't The One and he "couldn't see a future" with her.

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But Amanda called Erich out on "bullsh-t" in an interview with Us after the finale.

Gabby, for her part, admitted on After the Final Rose that Erich had acted like "an assh-le" to Amanda and led her on.


"When he told me, I'm like, 'Honestly, I'd be pissed too if I was her. I'd probably run to spoiler accounts trying to ruin your life too,'" Gabby admitted.

"But yeah, I was like, 'It's not [about] text messages and this or that, it's your character and how you treated her.' But, you know, it was all before the show and you move on."

Gabby said Erich had been good to her as well as honest about his past, and so she attempted to excuse Erich's mistakes by saying, "Boys are dumb."

As for why Erich reached out to Amanda again months after she had dumped him for going on The Bachelorette, Gabby explained, "I think it was his 'Hail Mary' to try and get her to not release the texts and to just end the relationship amicably."

She added, "I think his intentions were just to save his own ass."

In addition, a high school yearbook photo of Erich in blackface surfaced and offended fans while The Bachelorette was airing. Erich released a statement September 8 on his Instagram account, apologizing for his "ignorant" and "insensitive" actions as a teenager.


Erich admitted his behavior was "damaging" and he felt "deeply ashamed." He said he'll always regret the offense and believes accountability is only the first step of making a change.

Erich's blackface photo was not addressed on The Bachelorette 19 finale, which angered many people, including The Bachelorette alums Becca Kufrin and Rachel Lindsay.

But Gabby, who was engaged to Erich when the photo resurfaced, ultimately addressed the scandal in an interview with People.

"With his yearbook photo, I found out with the rest of the world, and I was incredibly shocked," Gabby told the magazine in late September.

"[I] just really had to process my thoughts and feelings," Gabby said, "and it made me really think about those scenarios independently and then think about how we can grow as a couple and learn from this."

Gabby admitted she was "pretty much devastated and shocked after seeing that."


Still, the bubbly brunette and Erich had planned to move in together once his apartment lease in Los Angeles was up.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski