For close to 10 months, Abbie Chatfield and Konrad Bien-Stephens were in a relationship, sharing their experiences of being open, living together and previously sharing a dog.
But in recent weeks, there have been reports the pair have split, with Konrad alleged to have moved on with another Bachelor alum. This weekend, Abbie set the record straight once and for all, confirming their breakup.
In early November last year, Abbie and Konrad had a bit of a soft-launch on TikTok before making things 'Instagram official' a week later. Rumours about their relationship had been rife, with the pair spotted kissing in Byron Bay while Konrad's final episodes on The Bachelorette 2021 with Brooke Blurton were airing.
Abbie confirmed it all by captioning a post: "Me: I'll never talk about who I'm dating publicly. This mf: 🧍", alongside a number of pictures of Konrad.
Speaking to Mamamia after his exit from The Bachelorette, Konrad said he and Abbie met through a mutual friend and hit it off.
"It wasn't something that was planned. It was a totally, totally random occurrence where I was out to lunch with a friend who's a mutual friend of Abbie's and Abbie just happened to message my friend while we were having a few cocktails and said, 'Hey, come see me. I've just got a place in Byron, come down and have a drink'," he said.
"So they were like, 'Can we go meet my friend?' Yeah, and so it went from there. It wasn't something that was planned. It was totally random, but she's an awesome chick hey, I was just so stoked I got to meet her."
Watch Abbie Chatfield speaking with Mia Freedman on No Filter. Story continues below.
He said that even though they could bond over their reality TV experiences; he reckoned he and Abbie would have hit it off, regardless.
"She was so rad, I feel like if I hadn't been on the show, but I was still with my friend and we went to go have a drink, I feel like it probably would have eventuated in the same way just because I get along with her so well," he said.
"Yeah, I mean, it's funny to sort of share experiences with each other even though she had a totally different experience to me obviously, with all the bullying and stuff."
For the next few months, their social media pages were full of fabulous relationship content of one another. And earlier this year, they publicly shared the story behind their decision to make their relationship open.
"We spoke about [having an open relationship] when we met before we'd even kissed," Abbie told Mia Freedman on a bonus episode of No Filter in April.
"After about two weeks, we were like, 'Okay, well, if we're gonna be together we probably should be open'. And then we were like; Okay, what are you comfortable with?"
In essence, their open relationship status meant that while the pair were in a relationship with each other, they could have sex with other people. At first, Abbie was hesitant to share that news with her fans, knowing the media was likely to have a sceptical response. But when logistically sleeping with other people was becoming tricky due to the public nature of their relationship, she announced the pair were non-monogamous on her podcast.
Listen to Abbie Chatfield on The Spill talking about the Logies, The Masked Singer Australia and working with Mel B 'Scary Spice'. Story continues after audio.
"There's this perception that he's manipulated me, that I'm just a silly woman and he just wants to cheat on me. I have been in open relationships before and he hasn't. I've tried [to be jealous], because my friends used to say 'when you find the right person you're going to', but I don't think that's true at all. It's my kink," she said on No Filter.
So how have they gone about it? With plenty of boundaries and open communication.
"We can sleep with other people if we meet them out, [but] it can't be someone you've slept with before. He'd be upset if I slept with an ex-boyfriend, so I would never do that. But I don't mind if he does it," she explained.
"If [he] met someone out and wanted to go home with them, he'd probably just text me be like hey, do you mind if I go home and f**k this person tonight? I'll be like, Yeah! Or, I'll be like oh no, you know what, I feel a bit sh*t today. Can you come home?
"I think I see the relationship as much more than just sex, and I don't see monogamy as the only validation for a relationship that is more than a friendship."
Throughout the relationship they have been living together, and even adopted a senior rescue dog together called Marco. Sadly, Marco had to be put down due to ill health in June, leaving the couple devastated.
Before Marco died, Konrad organised a necklace for Abbie with his fingerprint and Marco's paw print on either side.
Reflecting on the gift and loss, Abbie wrote on Instagram: "They [Konrad and Marco] made a pinky promise that Konrad would take care of me after Marco had gone. Marco died a few days after the pic of them was taken. This is the best present I have ever received and means so much more after the last week without my little Prince."
The last photo the couple posted together was back in June, for Abbie's birthday.
"Happy mf birthday to my iconic queen, my little lizard, my little gremlin ungulate - I love you so much, pinching myself every day, how did I get so lucky. Proud of you baby and proud to be your partner," Konrad wrote on Instagram at the time.
Although the pair still follow each other on Instagram, they have been quiet on their relationship, sparking breakup rumours.
Abbie told supporters she had planned to wait for Konrad to come home as he is currently overseas, filming for Network 10's upcoming reality TV series The Challenge. The show is an Aussie take on the British classic that sees famous contestants compete in stunt-heavy, action-packed adventures for a cash prize.
The line-up for the show is pretty jam-packed, with reports that multiple reality TV stars are involved. It reportedly includes: Konrad, David Subritzky (from I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Australia 2022), Big Brother's Tully Smyth, Australian Survivor's Brooke Jowett, Married at First Sight Australia's Cyrell Paule and also Brittany Hockley. There are reportedly numerous Bachelor alums including Ciarran Stott, Brooke Blurton and Megan Marx also involved, according to So Dramatic!.
According to the Daily Mail, Konrad allegedly coupled up with Megan Marx on the set of the show, with his 'TV ex' Brooke Blurton watching on.
"On the first night of filming, he hooked up with Megan. I didn't know what was happening," a source told the publication. The cast is currently filming in Buenos Aires, Argentina. "There's a lot of drama. People who were recently in serious relationships are rooting other people in a space of two or three days... it's crazy."
The source also alleged that Abbie and Konrad had split up before he went to Argentina, with Abbie reportedly initiating the split.
Initially, in reference to the reports, Abbie issued a quick statement via her Instagram stories.
"Hey!!!! I've seen the articles about Konrad," the radio host, podcaster and television personality said. "He's out of the country so I won't be commenting on anything until he's home. Can everyone not be so dramatic pls and relax. Both of us are totally okay. And can the paparazzi get their daily pic of me picking up dog poo then let me get a coffee in peace also."
This weekend, Abbie officially confirmed the split.
"I guess I wanted to confirm that yeah, Konrad and I have broken up. We’ve been broken up for a couple of months now," she said on Instagram. "No one did anything bad or awful, there’s no drama to it.
"It was not because we were in an open relationship. Nothing bad happened. I wasn’t being deceitful by not telling people, there was a reason why there was a delay in telling you all.
"I don’t really owe any of you an explanation," she continued, calling out the media for the coverage and reporting surrounding the relationship and break-up. "I just feel like nipping it in the bud... We’re broken up, it’s not a secret, it’s not anything bad, it’s not anything dramatic, it just is what it is."
Before jumping off for the night, the radio and television presenter told fans that from here on out, she plans to keep her relationships private.
Feature Image: Instagram @abbiechatfield.
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