BACHELORETTE star Gabby Windey opened up about her split from fiancé Erich Schwer for the first time on Dancing With the Stars.
While preparing to perform, the reality star reflected on calling off her engagement, confessing that they weren’t suited.
Gabby, 31, sat down with her DWTS partner Val Chmerkovskiy to discuss their upcoming semifinal performance.
While prepping, she opened up about her recent breakup, saying: “The end of our relationship happened because we weren’t completely in step and in sync with each other in our common goals or just the way we approach life.”
The ABC starlet did not delve much further into the reasons for her split, but did admit: “We weren’t each other’s best match.”
Gabby added that she’s grateful to her father and stepmother for the influence they had on her and the way she views relationships.
After performing on Monday’s show, host Alfonso Ribeiro pushed her about the breakup once more.
He questioned: “Has it been hard dealing with a breakup on a show this intense?”
Gabby revealed: “Yeah, absolutely. There’s so many factors just in being able to stay present at practice.”
She added: “It’s hard to come and stay present but Val makes it easy.”
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FANS REACT
Viewers flocked to Twitter to react to Gabby discussing the end of her and Erich.
“Gabby getting the support she needs <3,” one user wrote.
Another viewer tweeted: “I feel bad for gabby having to talk about her break up on national television. My heart goes to you.”
“Wait gabby and the guy she got engaged to in the beginning of this season broke up?” a third DWTS fan asked.
Someone else tweeted: “A very gorgeous routine from Gabby so much respect for Gabby for staying together and continuing this after a break up and still delivering well done such a gorgeous routine.”
TEASING TROUBLE
Gabby previously hinted at plans to talk about Erich on her Instagram Story.
She posted video from the studio on Sunday in which she said that people’s questions “will be answered.”
The star posted the video to ask fans to “pray for her” and vote for her and Val that they make it through this week.
“Um, hi, you guys. Obviously, it’s a big week and there’s a lot going on, but I just want to say thank you for your support,” she said in the video.
“Honestly, Val and I have been working out a**es off and can’t wait to show you tomorrow, so please don’t forget to vote. It’s such an important week.”
The DWTS contestant continued: “I’m dying and dying and trying to get into the finale and there’s like stiff-a** competition.”
The Bachelorette star then turned serious as she began to subtly talk about her split from her ex-fiance, Erich.
“And I know you guys have had a lot of questions, so I think they’ll be addressed tomorrow. Yeah, so thank you, guys. Please vote,” she said.
Gabby then ended the video by saying: “And by ‘I think,’ I mean I will be on tomorrow night’s episode of Dancing With The Stars. So, I’m off to rehearsal, but if you have a second, send up a prayer for this teeny tiny little dancer.”
Bachelorette fans reposted the video to Reddit and commented on what they thought she could be giving answers to.
“If Dancing With The Stars exposes Erich through an interpretive dance, I will subscribe to Disney Plus,” said one fan.
“If she comes on tomorrow and says anything about him doing work or something to that effect we will know they are faking a break-up and trying to rip a page off Matt and Rachael’s book. IMO that would be a terrible, disgusting move but I wouldn’t be surprised,” wrote another.
A third added: “Nothing like capitalizing your breakup on national TV. I guess it makes sense since the engagement also happened on another reality show but wow.”
SPLIT SPECULATION
After DWTS fans noticed that Erich wasn’t showing up in the audience and that Gabby wasn’t wearing her ring in October, they suspected the reality TV stars had broken up.
And earlier this month, a source confirmed fans’ suspicions.
They confirmed to E! News that the couple had split up, with a second source in Bachelor nation claiming that Gabby was the one to call things off.
“She felt they weren’t aligned and weren’t on the same page,” the insider said.
“Gabby was hoping they could give each other space and work it out but ultimately decided they didn’t have a future.”
A few days before their split was confirmed, the 31-year-old told Fox News: “I think life is just really busy for the both of us right now.”
Although Erich hasn’t been spotted in the DWTS audience for weeks, he did still show his support for her on his social media.
The two haven’t been spotted together on social media since October 12.