Lauren Alaina Ends Engagement to Alex Hopkins

Lauren Alaina has officially ended her engagement to her longtime boyfriend, Alex Hopkins. The American Idol alum shared the heartbreaking news on social media.

“Over the last several years, you have been so supportive of us through all of our ups and downs, including personal struggles with health and family, and we couldn’t be more grateful,” Alaina wrote. “You share your lives with us, and we always want to be open with you in return. We want to let you know that we have decided to call off our engagement. While we still have love for each other, we’ve grown into very different people over the last six years. We are now in a place where we are each looking forward to starting our own fresh, new chapters of our lives.

“We both love and respect each other and hope you all will do the same,” she continued. “This has not been an easy decision, but we both feel it is the right decision. Thank you always for your love and support.”

Alaina also added in the post, “We ask for grace, compassion, and respect in this time. I don’t regret a single second with Alex. I wish him the very best. Please do the same.”

There was no sign of trouble between the couple prior to their split. Alaina and Hopkins, who began dating in 2012, announced their engagement last summer.

“He’s the most attractive man I have ever seen,” Alaina gushed to Taste of Country. “Like every time I look at him — I mean, the older we get, the more attractive he gets and I’m starting to be like, ‘Glad we met at 17 because you are way cuter than me.’”

Only a few weeks ago, Alaina dished about her upcoming wedding to Hopkins, saying that plans were moving forward.

“We haven’t picked a date yet only because we tour so much, and everyone gets married on the weekends and I work on the weekends, so we’re trying to work all that out,” Alaina told PEOPLE. “We’ll probably have a long engagement because I want to make sure we do everything right and have time to plan it.”

The break-up comes in the midst of a troubling time for Alaina. The 24-year-old lost her beloved stepfather, Sam Ramker, to cancer in October. In the beginning of 2019, Alaina announced she was taking a break from social media.

“This Lauren didn’t care if she wore boy clothes,” Alaina began, along with a picture of her as a child. “She preferred it actually. She didn’t know the future. Its ups and downs. The happiness and pain it held. She didn’t know about heartbreak or loss. She didn’t know how cruel people can be or how much words can hurt, but she didn’t care what people thought of her or her boy clothes.”

“She was happy and sure of herself. She knew she wanted to write songs and sing them,” she continued. “She loved fiercely and boldly. And most importantly, she knew how to smile through a mom bob.”

Alaina will join Blake Shelton later this year on his Friends & Heroes Tour, which kicks off on Feb. 14. Find dates at LaurenAlainaOfficial.com.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Michael Tran