Leah Messer is opening up about her split from ex-fiancé Jaylan Mobley for the first time. The Teen Mom: The Next Chapter star said she was “doing great” as she embarks on her “healing process” after splitting from Mobley in October – just two months after the pair had gotten engaged.
“The beginning of my breakup, it was difficult. But there’s a healing process, there’s a grieving process after any breakup,” the reality star, 30, told PEOPLE. “You form an attachment with someone and a connection, and you get to grieve that if that relationship doesn’t align.” She continued that she was nevertheless “excited” to spend the holidays with her three daughters and “continue to do what we do as a family.”
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Messer and Mobley went Instagram official with their relationship in September 2021, and fans got to watch their relationship play out on Teen Mom. In August, the couple got engaged in Costa Rica, but their breakup came just two months later. “While the last year has been tremendously exciting for both of us, we’ve realized that it’s best we walk separate paths. We are so grateful for the lessons, growth, and memories we’ve had in this relationship,” they said in a joint statement at the time.
“So many of you have watched our love story unfold, and we hope that you’ll continue to watch our stories while we move forward as friends,” the continued. “We will forever have love and respect for each other, and we ask for privacy as we refocus and transition out of this chapter together.”
Things didn’t stay congenial for long, however. Shortly after the former couple’s proposal played out on Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Messer slammed her ex online after he asked for her stepfather’s blessing. “In the dinner scene after the proposal, it was known that no other blessings were needed or mattered, especially if I was going to open myself to marriage after two failed marriages,” Messer wrote on Dec. 7.
“I call the scene with my stepdad a publicity stunt and disrespect at its finest when [Jaylan] asked me prior and proceeded to do so anyway … then tell me on camera after [he proposed],” she continued. “I love my family BUT I have a very private relationship with them and preferred to keep it that way as we build better relationships with healthier boundaries.”
