BiP’s John Henry Tells the “long Story” Behind His and Kat’s Split

Bachelor in paradise star John Henry Spurlock offers more details about his breakup with Kat Izzowhich revealed he had a “spiral” by the end of their engagement.

“It’s a long story,” John Henry, 31, said during a Wednesday, April 24, appearance on the “Almost Famous” podcast. The previous BiP star explained that when he began his career as a professional diver known for his underwater welding, he promised to dedicate ten years to the job before looking for love. However, his engagement to 27-year-old Kat ruined his plans.

“I told her that my career is not relationship-friendly at the moment. She knew that. But I figured my plan was to get out of there anyway,” John Henry explained, noting that he “jumped around a whole lot” for the job.

Initially, Kat – a travel nurse – moved to North Carolina to be closer to John Henry, although her dream was to live in San Diego.

“It went really well. Now I have this job and then I get into this relationship. Then now it’s like, ‘Okay, I need to start figuring out what I’m going to do, how I can make this transition to a career that’s going to be a lot easier for me and for her,'” he recalled. “It just surprised me. Now I’m starting to think about how I should take this step.”

While John Henry tried to figure out the next steps in life with Kat. “So I started having doubts,” he admitted. “Then I began to see our differences more clearly. So it became really difficult for me.”

Meanwhile, John Henry proposed to Kat Bachelor in paradise Season 9 finale aired in December 2023. While he struggled with the next steps of their relationship, the show went off air, putting additional strain on their engagement.

“It got to a point where it became extremely difficult for both of us. Then I basically broke up,” he said. “I said this doesn’t feel right. I think this should be a lot easier than it is, and it just wasn’t the case. …I just started thinking, maybe this just isn’t for me. Once I got that in my head, it spiraled from there.”

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The former couple announced their separation a few days later BiP The finale aired, but they actually called off their engagement days before the show.

Kat was “shocked” by the split, John Henry said, noting that his mental health issues also contributed to his reasons for the split. Although they have gone their separate ways, there is no bad blood between John Henry and Kat.

“Kat is great. She really is something special. She’s not my longest relationship, but Kat is a catch. I can tell you, she definitely did her part,” he gushed. “Distance is hard for everyone. … When she loves, she gives her all, and she did everything she needed to do and more to try to make our relationship work.”