• 
  (Photo: Twitter/@bugrobertson)
  Ben Flajnik and Courtney Robertson

"Bachelor" Ben Flajnik is back on the market after ending his engagement to Courtney Robertson. The couple has spoken about what led to their decision, though the relationship's end may not come as a surprise to many who watched Flajnik's season on ABC.

"After meeting over a year ago, we have decided to end our romantic relationship," the couple said in a joint statement to In Touch. "The ups and downs weighed heavily on us both and ultimately we started to grow apart because of the distance, time apart, and our need to focus on our respective careers."

The couple met while on the infamous reality series, and Robertson quickly became the most controversial figure on the show. Many viewers were stunned when Flajnik asked for her hand in marriage, given her attitude and actions throughout the series.

For the most part, Flajnik and Robertson have remained out of the spotlight, except for rumors of his cheating with other women. They recently moved in together but decided it was a bad decision and that "everything was moving too fast," according to In Touch.

Now both celebrities have taken to the world of social media to speak about their separation.

"Thank you all so much for the kind words and for believing in us! We did, too, and tried our best! I really appreciate all the love and support. XO," tweeted Robertson.

Follow us

Flajnik also used Twitter to thank his own fans "for your support during this time in my life. It has been a crazy journey over the past couple years and I am blessed to have amazing friends/fam."

Prior to the official separation, Robertson and Flajnik had announced they were taking time to cool off and re-evaluate their relationship.

"We kind of looked back at some of the other 'Bachelor' relationships that didn't work out and the reason for that is you have so much pressure to move in together and set a date and all this kind of stuff. Let's figure out who we are together before we do any of that and take the pressure off," Flajnik told Us Weekly.

There's no word yet on whether Flajnik would be willing, as Emily Maynard was, to reappear on "The Bachelor."