Carly Waddell announced Wednesday that she and Todd Allen Tressler are no longer engaged, according to a candid Instagram video she posted on Oct. 1.
The Bachelor in Paradise alum explained she wasn’t ready to make the announcement but wanted to be honest with her followers.
She revealed she stopped wearing her engagement ring about a month ago when she ended the engagement.
“It’s not a decision that I personally made overnight. It was really bad timing because the kids had just started school and sports and all the things. You know what? It is what it is.”
The former reality star said she’s moved to a new city and feels “very at peace with this decision.” Her kids are “loving life in the new place.”
Waddell shares two children with ex-husband Evan Bass – daughter Isabella, 6, and son Charles, 4.
Bass and Waddell separated in December 2020 after three years of marriage. She went public with Tressler in March 2024, revealing they’d been dating for a year.
The engagement announcement came just last October. Waddell revealed on Instagram that Tressler had proposed – but she’d actually proposed to him first a year earlier.
In her video Wednesday, Waddell addressed the challenges of post-divorce dating.
“Honestly, dating after divorce and dating with kids is super difficult. You have to make tough decisions for yourself and for your family. So, that’s where I’m at.”
She explained her decision to go public in the post’s caption: “Real talk. This is def a post I have been delaying. But so I can feel a little more free. Here we go.”
Bachelor Nation rallied around Waddell in the comments.
Jade Roper Tolbert wrote: “Love you and I’m so proud of you for doing what’s best for you and the kids.”
Jillian Harris added encouragement about not settling and putting her family first.
“You’re a good mom and you’re a good human and don’t believe that everybody’s life needs to look a certain way, needs to follow a certain order or needs to ‘follow the rules’… not settling and striving for the best for you and your kids. You should be proud of that!!!”
The split comes after Waddell and Tressler’s engagement lasted less than a year.
