‘Bachelor’ Star Ben Higgins Breaks Silence on Split With Lauren Bushnell

After announcing their split on Monday, former star of The Bachelor, Ben Higgins is opening up in his podcast about Lauren Bushnell and admits he’s having a hard time moving on.

“It’s hard to say goodbye to somebody that you spent so much time with, and it’s hard to say goodbye to somebody that you really did believe was the one for you,” Higgins tells E! News exclusively.

In the first episode of his podcast “Ben and Ashley: Almost Famous” with Bachelorette contestant, Ashley Iaconetti, Higgins adds that the heartache is “still fresh” and acknowledges that he feels “really sad.”

Taking most of the furniture with her out of their Denver, Colorado home in late April, Higgins reveals Bushnell left all but the bed in their home, adding that he and the house are feeling “very similar.”

MORE: ‘Bachelor’ Couple Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell Call It Quits

“I think, mutually, Lauren and I saw that life was getting more difficult,” he told E! News. “I would say the joy that we felt toward our relationship at the beginning was —for some reason — slipping away, and we were both working very hard to bring that joy back,” he said. “And it just never seemed to get there. So, it was a long time coming, but it wasn’t necessarily like we dragged it out.”

However, Higgins still has kind things to say about his ex-fiancée.

“I am a better man today because of Lauren and because of our relationship than I was two years ago,” he said.

The star of the ABC hit’s 20th season is taking his experiences from the highly publicized relationship with Bushnell and hoping to apply it to his future in dating.

“Just to be as politically correct as possible and to also be as truthful as possible, Lauren will always be one of my best friends,” Higgins said. “It’s [a relationship] where I learned a lot about myself; I think she learned a lot about herself. Obviously, she knows me better than anybody else that has gone through this experience, and really probably anybody else in the world. It’s tough.”

Higgins goes on to tell E! News that he is a “little confused” and “lost,” but for the most part “doing all right.”

“Life is going to be good and I know that from past experiences, any type of brokenness… Oftentimes those situations can be turned into a beautiful thing. I think that’s what’s going to happen here and that’s what I’m confident in today,” he said.

Higgins and Iaconetti’s new podcast debuts May 23 on the iHeartRadio app. Listen to a teaser from the show below. Will you be listening to his latest project?

Related:

‘Bachelor’ Star Ben Higgins Shares His One Goal for Wedding to Lauren Bushnell
The Bachelor’s’ Lauren Bushnell Admits Relationship With Ben Higgins Isn’t Perfect
Are ‘The Bachelor’ Stars Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell Headed for a Split?