The Bachelorette alum John Hersey shared a sweet birthday tribute to his girlfriend, Katie Thurston, on Instagram. John was eliminated from Katie's season in an early rose ceremony, but the two reconnected romantically after Katie's engagement to Blake Moynes' ended. After forging a close friendship during her engagement to Blake, Katie and John decided to give their relationship a second chance. Katie also celebrated John's birthday on Instagram, featuring a cute photo of the couple sitting on a couch together. The former Bachelorette praised John in her December post.
Katie opened up about why she didn't tell Blake that she and John were dating. Blake theorized that there could have been some emotional cheating on Katie's end, because of her pre-existing friendship with John. Katie stressed that they're all just normal people and that most people wouldn't have to tell their ex that they're dating someone new. Katie announced her relationship with John via her Instagram Story, where she did "12 Days of Messy," pairing a Taylor Swift song with a guy from her season each day. John's song was "Begin Again," which is about finding love again after a heartbreak. Even though Katie defended not telling Blake about her relationship with John, she regrets posting all of that on her Story.
John took to Instagram to share his birthday message to Katie, saying he never could have "dreamt up" everything that happened this year. "I am both in awe of, and extremely grateful for the circumstances that brought us together," John wrote in his post. The caption accompanied a photo of John and Katie kissing and dancing together. "And thank goodness you dumped me on national television, or else we could have never gotten to where we are now," John continued. He also gushed about how happy he is and how falling in love with Katie was "the best decision [he] never had a say in." Katie commented "I sure do love you" on his tribute to her.
John joked that he's grateful Katie broke up with him during her season, or else they wouldn't be together now. Katie revealed similar sentiments that she and John wouldn't have worked on the show. In an Instagram Story, Katie answered a fan who wondered why John wasn't really featured in season 17. Katie said that they wouldn't have worked if John had progressed on the show, because the couple wouldn't have been able to cultivate the strong friendship that led to their romantic relationship. Because they had that time to grow as friends, Katie really got to know John in a way that the timespan of the show wouldn't have allowed.
John and Katie getting together probably wasn't how most fans of The Bachelorette saw the season ending, but they seem happy together. Although Blake didn't get his happy ending, maybe he'll be able to find love on another Bachelor franchise spin-off. Until then, fans can watch all of these Bachelor Nation members' journeys through their social media accounts.
Source: John Hersey/Instagram