Blake Moynes offered rare insight into where he stands with former fiancée, Katie Thurston, amid her ongoing cancer battle.
During the Thursday, April 10, episode of Jax Taylor‘s “In the Mind of a Man” podcast, Moynes, 34, was asked whether he kept in contact with Thurston, 34, to which he said, “We are. It took a little while [but] she ended up showing up on [Bachelor in] Paradise when I was there [in 2023]. I had not talked to her since we ended the engagement. So two years later we hashed it out. … We’ve been in touch here and there since.”
Later in the episode, Taylor specifically addressed Thurston’s battle with stage 4 breast cancer. “Anything that she’s been talking about, I’ve been following along with her,” Moynes said. “She did a podcast recently and I’m always just listening in on her. I’m not going to be on the phone with her obviously — as the ex — but I did reach out to her and left her a long video message giving her all the support.”
Moynes continued: “I will say it’s a scary thing. But I know her and she’s a fiery girl. I’m very optimistic in how she handles this. As I see, it’s a small hurdle for her. She’s going about it in a very cool way, doing it publicly and showing [everyone the treatment process].”
Katie Thurston, Blake Moynes’ Honest Quotes About Life Post-Split
The update on the former couple comes after Thurston previously told Us Weekly that “many of the guys” from her season reached out to her.
“Many of the top five guys from my season have reached out and sent words of support,” she shared last month. “Everyone is very, very sweet and supportive. That is just what’s so great about that experience is we all recognize what we went through in that little bubble. At the end of the day, we’re all humans and we all have a heart. The guys have been great and reaching out and offering their support.”
Moynes made his Bachelor franchise debut in 2020 when he appeared on Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams‘ season of The Bachelorette. One year later, he tried his luck at the final rose again during Thurston’s season. Moynes proposed to Thurston during season 17, which aired in August 2021. Two months later, however, they announced their decision to call off the engagement.
Bachelorette’s Katie Thurston and Blake Moynes’ Relationship Timeline
“It is with mutual love and respect that we have decided to go our separate ways. We are so grateful for the moments we shared together and the entire journey that has unfolded this year, but we ultimately have concluded that we are not compatible as life partners, and it is the most caring choice for both of us to move forward independently,” they captioned their joint statement via Instagram in October 2021. “We ask for kindness and privacy as we both navigate this transition. Both of us will forever want the best for one another and ask you to please support us in our decision.”
Thurston has since found love with Jeff Arcuri, whom she married in March.
“Being married doesn’t feel any different since we often referred to each other as husband and wife already,” Thurston told Us. “I did introduce Jeff as my husband at my latest doctor’s appointment and that felt powerful for some reason.”
Arcuri, 36, agreed, adding “She’s been my wife since the day I met her. The ceremony was emotional, but only a temporary placeholder until the true celebration.”
