The Real Reason Colton Underwood And Cassie Broke Up

When Bachelor alum Colton Underwood jumped the fence on the hit reality show after his breakup with Cassie Randolph, fans rallied behind the couple, hoping the two could figure things out — which they eventually did. However, as the former football player prepares for the release of his new memoir, The First Time, on March 31, 2020, Bachelor Nation has learned that Underwood and Randolph broke up briefly after the final rose, too.

"To put it very frank, after the show, we realized we weren't communicating as well as we once did," Underwood wrote, according to an excerpt published by People. "Nobody was forcing us to talk about real things going on, so we let a lot of things build up. In a weird way, I kind of broke up with myself. I was like, I feel like we need to figure this out and in order to do that, we need space. She agreed. So it was a mutual thing."

However, as Underwood recalled, the breakup didn't last long. "It was like, 'I miss you!'" he said. "It was a very real and very emotional breakup, but it was also very good to be real and emotional because it forced us to have conversations and move on. Now, we know the flags to look for. When issues start to creep up, it's like, let's go have a conversation. We're trying to be more transparent and honest and really trust each other." 

And it seems that their struggles have only made the couple more committed.

As the world grapples with the impact of COVID-19, on March 20, 2020, Colton Underwood revealed he, too, tested positive for coronavirus. Underwood took to Twitter to explain that his primary symptoms were "[his] cough, night sweats and shortness of breath." At the time of this writing, he's isolated on the third floor of girlfriend Cassie Randolph's family home where she can care for him during this difficult time, per Entertainment Tonight.

"When they make food they make an extra plate and drop it off and have been checking on me regularly to make sure I am comfortable and breathing! They have been amazing and have been taking great care of me," Underwood wrote on Instagram. 

"Let's turn this corner and get you back to healthy," Randolph replied in the comments. And it seems Underwood is on the mend already. In his most recent update from March 25, 2020, he told his followers that he "woke up seeing light at the end of the tunnel."

However, Underwood's recovery likely wouldn't have been so quick without the love of Randolph and her family to see him through. After all, as he wrote in his memoir (via People), "No matter what, I don't want my life without her. Our relationship hasn't always been easy, but it's been worth it." These two were clearly meant to be.