Since the news of their split, Bachelor Nation members have been desperate to know why Carly Waddell and Evan Bass divorced after their Bachelor in Paradise season. For those who don’t know, Carly and Evan announced their separation after three years of marriage on Wednesday, December 23.

“We have made the difficult decision to separate,” the two said in a statement. “We will always cherish our time together and continue to have the utmost respect for one another as we focus on what’s best for the future of our family. We greatly appreciate everyone’s love and support and kindly ask that you please respect our family’s privacy as we navigate through this.”

As fans remember, Carly and Evan met on season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2017. They tied the knot the same year and share two children: Bella, 2, and Charlie, 1. Bass also has three sons from a previous relationship: Ensley, Liam and Nathan.

Three days after their split was announced, Carly broke her silence on her separation, telling viewers how “hard” it was to split her kids’ Christmas between their parents. “Christmas is over. This is the part I was looking forward to the least because Evan came and got the kids and they’re gonna be so happy and they’re gonna have so much fun but Charlie has never slept at anybody else’s house before. It’s not even like I’m worried about him, it’s just hard being away from him,” she said while crying. “It’s so stupid. I just feel alone, honestly​​​​​…It’s just hard.”

Source: Instagram

She continued, “I know this is the new normal but it just doesn’t feel normal. It feels awful…This is a weird week for me because, most of you know, Evan and I are getting a divorce…I don’t know how to do Christmas alone.”

Carly also opened up about her divorce in an Instagram post on Christmas, where she told fans that the holiday wasn’t what she expected. “Merry Christmas,” she wrote. “Christmas Day isn’t what I had expected this year. The three of us. The new normal. Which feels incredibly abnormal, and actually very sad. A lot of you kind people have asked if I’m ok. And I want to say I am, but I’m not. I will be though.”

She continued, “Today is the first day that both kids are staying at Evan’s house overnight. I feel like I’m missing a piece of my soul. I’m literally just sitting by myself writing this. But I’m thankful that it was a white Christmas, and I’m thankful the kids all get to be having a blast with their dad and brothers. They are feeling so loved.”

It’s unclear why Evan and Carly split, but Carly hinted on an episode of the podcast “Mommies Tell All” in June 2020 that she’s unsure if her and Evan’s relationship would survive another baby. “The other day when I was talking to this card reader, she read my cards, like, five times and she said twice that we were gonna have another baby,” she said. “I don’t think that we should because I’m tired.”

Evan then added, “I don’t think we’d make it if we had another.…We would make it for a little while longer, but…they would probably lead to different paths.”