Bachelor Grant Ellis Claims He ‘Didn’t Break Up with Anybody’ as He Clarifies End of Relationship with Juliana Pasquarosa

Grant Ellis is sharing his side of the story following his split from his fiancée Juliana Pasquarosa.

While answering questions during an Instagram Live on June 22, the former Bachelor — who met and fell in love with Pasquarosa, 28, on season 29 of the hit ABC dating series — opened up about their breakup, which they announced earlier this month.

“Why did I break up with Juliana? he claimed, per Us Weekly. “I didn’t break up with anybody.” However, he later called the split between the two “mutual.”

As for how he’s doing now, Ellis, 31, revealed that he’s “not heartbroken” and “life goes on.” He explained the pair “just wasn’t for each other.”

Ellis shared that he now plans to go to Italy solo after Jesse Palmer and ABC gifted the former couple the trip on the After the Final Rose special in March.

Ellis revealed whether he is still in communication with Pasquarosa, less than two weeks after announcing their breakup.

When asked if the pair “still talk,” he clarified, “No, we don’t really talk like that.”

No longer being in touch with his ex works fine for Ellis, who explained, “I don’t rekindle. I move forward … I would not get back with anybody from my past.”

“Life is best when you move forward, not backward,” he continued. “I learned a lot about myself. It was like therapy for me, honestly.”

As for if he’s ready to date again, Ellis shared, “I’m just taking some time to chill for a little bit, focus on me … Honestly, I’m not looking for anything right now. I’m just chilling.”

Ellis and Pasquarosa announced the end of their engagement in separate Instagram Stories on June 13, less than three months after the show’s finale aired.

“We both gave this our best and poured a lot of love into each other, but after a lot of deep conversations, we’ve come to the understanding that we’re simply not the right fit long term. What we had was meaningful,” he shared in part on his Instagram account. “The connection we built on the show was real, and so was the effort we made to continue once the cameras stopped rolling.” 

In her own statement on her Instagram Stories, Pasquarosa wrote in part, “After a lot of honest conversations and reflection, we’ve come to the decision that this chapter of our lives is meant to continue on separate paths.”

“While this isn’t the ending we once imagined, it’s one filled with mutual respect, care and hope for what’s ahead,” she said, adding they will be “cheering each other on, just from different places now.”

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After getting engaged, the now-exes opened up about their relationship to PEOPLE and recalled that there was a “spark” from the start.

“You could tell there was a bit of an instant spark,” Pasquarosa recalled. “I think it was in his eye contact and his body language when I got out… He was a lot taller and a lot more handsome in person.”

The former couple also shared that while they were in “no rush” to get married, they had no doubts they’ve found the right spouse in each other. “I was looking for somebody with compassion and somebody with character, and I found that,” the former Bachelor said.