Former Bachelorette Ashley Hebert confessed she wasn’t willing to risk her health in hopes of saving her marriage to J.P. Rosenbaum prior to their divorce.
“I felt, you know how women they hold in a lot of stress? And it says it leads to autoimmune diseases?” Hebert, 41, said on the Thursday, April 9, episode of the “I Do, Part 2” podcast. “I [was] like, ‘This marriage is going to kill me. It’s going to kill me.’”
She insisted that her feelings were “no offense” to Rosenbaum, 49, but added that her overall well-being played a big part in leaving her relationship for good in 2020.
“I made the decision because I care about myself and my health a lot. Especially for the kids. My longevity and to be there for my kids,” Hebert — who shares son Ford, 11, and daughter Essie, 9, with Rosenbaum — explained.
Looking back on the end of her marriage, Hebert revealed there was “one moment” that made it all click, noting “something happened” that made her ready to leave.
“I was like, ‘This is it. There’s no turning back from this,’” the former Bachelor contestant said, noting that it was “too personal” to share with the public.
While Hebert is “happy” in her second phase of life as a single mom, she told podcast listeners that “everybody should try and make it work” when it comes to their marriage.
The Bachelor franchise went nearly 20 years before an official divorce. There are several pairings still going strong from The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, but the majority of the duos who meet on the reality TV shows go their separate ways before they walk down the aisle. And while some consider Marcus […]
“We did therapy. It went on for a long time,” she shared of her and Rosenbaum’s attempt to stay together.
Hebert revealed that after the therapy sessions, which took place over Zoom because they happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, she realized nothing was changing.
“I really wanted to see if there was a way to fix the issues,” she recalled, admitting that therapy “got a little weird” toward the end.
Hebert explained, “I felt like when we were on camera — we were doing it through Zoom — I felt like after the computer closed it was a different person.”
“Something happened and it didn’t work,” she confessed. “With J.P., a moment, a conversation. It had to do with a therapy session.”
Once Hebert was on the other side of divorce, she figured out it was fine to let go of something no longer serving her.
“I think divorce is OK if it’s not working for you,” she said. “If it’s unhealthy and you’ve worked at it, it’s OK.”
Nine Bachelor Nation couples have tied the knot in a televised ceremony — with a 55.5 percent success rate. Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter were the first Bachelor Nation couple to exchange vows in December 2003, with a reported 17 million viewers tuning in to watch the OG Bachelorette marry her final rose winner. Two […]
Fans were introduced to Hebert during season 15 of The Bachelor in 2011 when she competed for Brad Womack’s final rose. She was named the season 7 Bachelorette that same year, where she fell in love with Rosenbaum.
Rosenbaum proposed to Hebert during the May 2011 season finale and they tied the knot in December 2012 in a televised wedding.
The reality TV couple announced in October 2020 that they split after seven years of marriage. Us Weekly confirmed in October 2021 the former couple’s divorce had been finalized.
Since parting ways, Hebert and Rosenbaum have found their rhythm as coparents and even begun vacationing as a family, including a Hawaii trip in summer 2025.
