It's 2019 and The Bachelor is finally talking about divorce. It's a pretty common thing in today's world — if you're dating, you'll probably come across a divorcée or two in your search for love. So why has it taken this show so long to have this conversation? Tayshia told Colton that she got divorced before The Bachelor, and she was nervous to open up about it — even though it's not really that big of a deal in the real world. In Bachelor Nation, however, there haven't been many contestants to open up about a marriage that ended. Tayisha could be the only divorced Bachelor contestant in recent history — the other two notable divorcées were both men competing on The Bachelorette. On Kaitlyn Bristowe's season, JJ Lane told her about how cheating on his wife ended their marriage. (Bristowe sent him home that same week.) And on Becca Kufrin's season, Garrett Yrigoyen told the Bachelorette that he was married for two months before he and his ex called it quits. (Kufrin and Yrigoyen are now engaged.) Those are both pretty extreme examples of a relationship ending in divorce, but Tayshia's story could hit home for any number of women.
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She told Colton that she'd married her first boyfriend and, after a six year relationship, things fell apart. She wanted to keep working on the relationship, because to her a marriage was forever, but she acknowledged that you can't make someone want to be married. Colton responded to Tayshia's story the right way — by treating it like the totally normal, but formative experience it was.
Sure, the end of a marriage is not necessarily the same as your average breakup, but it's also pretty common and nothing to be sheepish about. According to the American Psychological Association, around 40-50 percent of married US couples get divorced. And Business Insider reported that the younger you get married, the higher your chance of divorce is. Tayshia is 28 now, so if she was with her ex for six years and they separated about a year and a half ago like she told Colton — that means she entered into that relationship at around 21.
After she shared her story, Colton opened up about his own divorced parents and told Tayshia that he was proud that she made a choice that was best for her and her happiness, and he pointed out that now she knows that much more what she does want out of a marriage. Tayshia agreed, saying, "When I do get married again, I'm gonna make sure it’s amazing."
Colton wasn't scared off by Tayshia's past marriage and divorce, nor should he be. All that matters now is how Tayshia and Colton's relationship is progressing. And as for her chances of winning the final rose in the end, Colton's made it clear that it doesn't matter if she's been married before or not. Just like he should.