Relationships

JoJo & Jordan Said They Initially Stayed Together To Please Fans & I'm Shook

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Not all Bachelor Nation couples stick it out for the long run, and former Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher and her fiancé are one of the few couples who beat the odds. But apparently, JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers felt "pressure" to stay together after getting engaged on The Bachelorette, and that's one of the only reasons they stayed together at the start of their relationship. "I think that was one of the reasons why we stayed together in the beginning," Fletcher told Us Weekly in an interview published Feb. 10. "There were so many reasons why we thought we should not be together. I think, subconsciously for me and for him, there was this pressure, not only from people that watch the show but, like, our family and our friends."

Luckily, now that the two have been engaged for nearly five years, they no longer feel obligated to stay together for fans. "Obviously, we're far past that, but I think in the beginning, there is that sense of pressure," Fletcher added. According to her, they aren't even in rush to walk down the aisle anymore, especially amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "We're gonna set the record for the longest engagement in reality TV history," she joked.

Fletcher revealed their first year together after the cameras stopped rolling was "very difficult," and it almost tore them apart. "We went through a lot of different struggles," she said. "And there was a point in that first year where we were like, 'Whoa, can we even do this?' We sat down together and we were like, 'We love each other, but is that enough right now?' There was a fork in the road and we choose to stay together and we're better for it, but it was not easy."

ICYMI, Rodgers popped the question in Thailand during The Bachelorette Season 12 finale, and more than three years later, Rodgers decided to re-propose with his own ring rather than a sparkler from Neil Lane. And though they seem as loved-up as ever, Rodgers revealed he and Fletcher almost broke up at one point during a June 2020 appearance on The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! "You get a lot of perfection on the show," Rodgers explained to host Chris Harrison. "You get amazing dates, you see the best of someone. Sometimes that's not real life... You go through ups and downs, and we've gone through our fair share of ups and downs."

Fletcher and Rodgers stuck together through the difficult times, but now they're facing a new challenge: trying to get married during a global pandemic. They originally planned to tie the knot in June 2020 before rescheduling their wedding for May 2021, and now it seems they may have to push back their big day again. As Fletcher explained to Us Weekly, "We're kind of in a weird situation. We could roll the dice and hope that by May things will open up. But I just don't feel comfortable with that. I want everyone to feel safe and comfortable and excited to travel."

Whenever their dream wedding finally happens, I'm sure it will be worth the wait. No pressure, you two.