The Real Reason Clare Crawley And Dale Moss Split

For anyone who has been paying attention to Bachelor Nation, the rollercoaster relationship between Bachelorette star Clare Crawley and former contestant Dale Moss has come to an end. The couple shocked viewers and Bachelor alums when they got engaged mere days after filming for Season 16 of the hit ABC reality TV series began. 

But it was not long before signs of trouble began to pop up across social media. Both parties also made it pretty obvious, in fact. As we previously reported on Nicki Swift, Dale's cousin, Debo Mils, unfollowed Clare on Instagram — after she unfollowed him — and later shared a vague (yet seemingly pointed) message, writing, "WE ALL KNOW THE TRUTH. NOW UNFOLLOW US IN REAL LIFE." Sheesh! 

According to Life & Style, the former Bachelorette shared her own cryptic message on Instagram, beginning with visiting her mother ,who has Alzheimer's disease and dementia. She wrote in the caption, in part, "She has good days and bad, just like we all do. Well today I couldn't hide my hard day. A mother always knows. Without saying a word, she reached in her pocket and pulled out this tissue and just squeezed my hand."

Well, the cold war is over and the spontaneous couple has finally called it quits. Keep scrolling after the jump to read Dale's official statement on the sudden breakup. 

While rumors about their potential breakup have been swirling throughout social media for days, Dale Moss clearly did not want to continue the charade. In an effort to clear up any speculation about his and Clare Crawley's relationship, Dale released an official statement regarding their separation on Jan. 19, 2021. The former Bachelorette contestant took to Instagram to share his thoughts. 

"I wanted to share with you all that Clare and I have decided to go our separate ways," the caption began. "We appreciate the love and support we've received from so many people, but this is the healthiest decision for both of us at this time."

The post continued, "We strongly believe in leading with love and always remaining true to oneself – something our families have taught and instilled in us throughout our lives. We only hope the best things for one another."

He closed the caption with, "Please respect our privacy as we work through this together." However, at the time of this writing, Clare has not yet shared her own statement. 

While there's no doubt that Clare Crawley and Dale Moss got engaged quickly, it seems like there was genuine interest on both their parts. On Jan. 13, 2021, Dale joined the podcast Raising the Bar and admitted that he only joined The Bachelorette because of Clare. He shared that he had been asked to join the ABC dating series three times before and turned them down each time.

"I was nominated, I never actually signed up. I turned it down over, and over, and over again," Dale explained. "I actually finally committed to it four days before everyone was supposed to leave for the show. And the only reason I committed to it was because Clare was announced [as the] Bachelorette at that time."

That's really sweet. So, what caused the rupture between the duo? A source told Page Six that a big issue had to do with major milestones: where to move to and if they'd start a family. "There's a whole bunch of problems between them," the insider explained. "I don't know what the specific breaking point was, but she wants him to move to Sacramento and he's not crazy about that. She wants kids right away, he doesn't."

While this news may (or may not) be a shock, it looks like Clare won't have to stay single for long if she doesn't want to be. A familiar face from Bachelor Nation already asked her out.

Shortly after Clare Crawley and Dale Moss split up, Spencer Robertson asked Clare out (literally... it was hours after the news broke.) Fans of The Bachelorette will remember Spencer, who joined the season after Clare had already left with Dale. He came on as one of the four new men to join when Tayshia Adams was named the new Bachelorette. While he won the first impression rose from Tayshia, he didn't stick around much longer. Spencer wrote on his Instagram Stories "Coffee @clarecrawley?"

Meanwhile, in Dale's world, things could open up too. BuzzFeed jokingly wrote of Dale's new status as a single man: "So...his DMs...are open?" Indeed they are and we can only guess at how many messages they're both receiving.

Who knows what Clare and Dale need right now? Only they can decide that but it's quite likely they'll both have plenty of options if and when they each choose to get back on the dating scene.