The Bachelorette alum Katie Thurston celebrated her boyfriend John Hersey's birthday on Instagram. Katie and John met on Katie's season, but he was originally sent home early on in the show. Katie got engaged to Blake Moynes at the end of her run, but the two split up in October. While Katie's relationships with Blake and John didn't overlap, Blake wondered if there was any emotional cheating since Katie and John were friends. Katie and John made their first public appearance as a couple at Stephen Lovegrove's First Noelle Ball in early December. The two were pictured together kissing on the red carpet.
Katie opened up to fans about her relationship with John in a recent Instagram Q&A. When a fan asked why Katie and John's relationship was barely shown on TV, Katie responded by saying they wouldn't have worked out if that was the case. Off-screen, Katie and John were able to build a strong friendship that transitioned into a romantic relationship, which wouldn't have been able to happen on the show. Katie also answered a fan that asked if she fell in love with John before or after her engagement to Blake ended. She always saw John as a friend until everything changed for her. John also previously said he didn't think he and Katie would be anything more than platonic prior to their relationship beginning. Whether or not Katie and John would have worked on TV, they seem to be happy together now.
Katie took to Instagram to celebrate John's birthday. "Cheers to you handsome, 28 looks good on you already," Katie wrote in the caption. "Happy birthday! Celebrating you is easy!" The sweet post included a photo of Katie and John sitting on a couch and smiling at each other. Anna Redman, who competed on Matt James' season with Katie, commented on the post, "Hbd to the biggest and most aggressive photo-bomber out there!", to which John jokingly responded, "BING BONG." Anna also commented, "Love you guys," and Katie responded with, "visit us again soon."
Katie recently revealed why she didn't tell Blake about John. Katie expressed that she's just a normal person, and most people wouldn't have to tell their ex that they're dating a new person. She also said she regretted doing the "12 Days of Messy" on her Instagram Stories, in which she paired a guy from her season with a Taylor Swift song each day. The final day featured the song "Begin Again," which is about finding love again after heartbreak, and was paired with a video of John. Sharing her relationship with the public wasn't planned ahead of time; Katie just wanted to share it because she was excited. Now, she believes the negative backlash wasn't worth it, and regrets posting the videos.
Even though Katie and John's relationship may have gotten off to a rough start in the public eye, especially with the possibility of Katie emotionally cheating on Blake, the two seem excited to be together. A lot of couples come off of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, but a good number of them don't work out in the end, like Katie and Blake. At least Katie and John were able to find each other and start a fulfilling relationship.
Source: Katie Thurston/Instagram