Here's Everything Tayshia Adams Has Said About Her Divorce
It's safe to say that Bachelor Nation's is still *shook* from the rumors Tayshia Adams is replacing Clare Crawley as the Bachelorette. (ABC didn't respond to Elite Daily's request for comment on the claims by outlets including TMZ and Entertainment Tonight.) But while you wrap your head around that game-changing update, there are a few things to know about the new contestant — like the fact that Adams has already been married previously. Tayshia Adams' quotes about her divorce — which are beautifully vulnerable — and prove she's wise beyond her years.
According to court documents obtained by Radar Online, the couple had been married for one year and six months when her then-husband Joshua Bourelle filed for divorce on October 11, 2017, citing irreconcilable differences. After their marriage was officially dissolved on April 17, 2018 — about five months before Underwood's season began filming — Adams switched back to using her maiden name.
This past relationship will likely come into play on her televised quest for love. So, what else is there to know about her marriage? Well, Adams has opened up about the experience on multiple occasions.
The first time Adams talked about her divorce while in the public spotlight was on a one-on-one date with Underwood, so if you watched his season of The Bachelor, you may very well already be aware of this tidbit.
“This past year and a half has been kind of hard for me and it’s actually because I was married, and I got divorced,” she told Underwood at the time.
Adams went on to explain that she married her first love, and their relationship lasted for about six years. She admitted that she thought she'd only be married once, and while she fought hard to stay with her ex, they just couldn’t make it work.
"You can’t make someone want to be married," she noted.
Adams called the divorce the toughest thing she's ever gone through, adding, "I think that's what made me so strong and fearless."
Since then, Adams has shed light on her previous marriage via multiple other platforms, including social media. In a January 2019 Instagram post, she explained why she decided to disclose her divorce on The Bachelor. She noted that divorce used to be something she was "ashamed" of because she felt she had "failed" at something that she valued so highly.
"It made me question my worth and completely dimmed the light inside of me that used to shine so brightly," she wrote in the caption.
Adams revealed that thankfully, she has a strong support system — and further, that she feels the challenging experience actually made her a better person.
"It’s been a rough journey to pick up the pieces and rebuild my idea of the life I want, but I will tell you this: I would not be able to be the strong, independent and smiling woman I am today without my faith or the support of my close family and friends that have supported me unconditionally," Adams added.
Later, in an of Dean Unglert's podcast Help! I Suck at Dating, she commented on how difficult it was to accept that the relationship wasn't working. She admitted that she "felt a lot of pressure" to make sure her marriage survived — especially since her parents have been together for so long — which made it "scary" to tell her family it wasn't working out. Adams added that prior to her divorce, she never really talked to her parents about what was going in on her relationship. So, the silver lining was that the experience forced her to share more with her loved ones.
"I opened up a lot more and they are now my closest friends in a way," Adams said on the podcast.
TBH, this level of candidness — especially about something so painful and emotionally complex — is just one reason why Adams has remained a fan fave from the Bachelor franchise, and why her season promises to be super interesting.
At the very least, Adams' previous marriage has clearly given her lots of wisdom about what kind of relationship she's looking for. In a March 2020 interview with Vulture, when she was asked about what her Bachelorette attitude would potentially be, she replied: "No bullsh*t, let's go, I'm trying to find a husband!" Sounds like Adams knows exactly what she's looking for — and I, for one, can't wait to watch her love life continue to evolve.
