Their story certainly captured the attention of many viewers of The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman, and fans of Andy Baldwin and Tessa Horst have been eager for updates on the two since the show ended.  

Those fans will no doubt be disappointed to hear the news that yes, it's official: Andy and Tessa have called off their engagement.

However, while this is rarely a positive sign for any relationship, the two are not ruling out the possibility of a future together.

The Bachelor couple has released a statement, saying, "We are very much in love and committed to our relationship...Our relationship continues to deepen, and we're very hopeful about our future together."

It sounds as though the pressure of the show pushed Andy and Tessa to take the step of getting engaged, but it might not have been the right time to do so.  Andy recently told InTouch Weekly, "When the fantasy wore off and the reality set in, we both realized we weren't ready to be engaged...We're taking things much slower."

"Taking things much slower" means that, for one thing, Tessa will not be moving to Hawaii; instead she will stay in San Francisco.  Andy has learned that he might be reassigned to a new post with the Navy, so that uncertainty, coupled with the revised outlook for the relationship, made it clear that a move would not be the best idea right now.  The two said, "We decided it was not the ideal time for Tessa to uproot herself and move out right now."

One would suspect that this is not the ideal timing for this news for the network that aired their initial courtship. ABC is only a few weeks away from yet another installment of The Bachelor.  With news of yet another broken engagement coming from a Bachelor couple, those previous Bachelor viewers who might have been on the fence about watching the new season might decide it's just not worth it.

Then again, the hopeless romantics - who might choose to look at the positive open-ended nature of Tessa and Andy's statement - might still think it's worth another try and tune in for the premiere of The Bachelor on September 24.


- Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: E! News, InTouch Weekly
(Image courtesy of ABC)