The reality TV alum wife’s Laura Ritter-Allio was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and died almost two years later
Credit: Michael Allio/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Michael Allio addressed followers who questioned his ability to move forward after his late wife’s death
- Allio shared his engagement to beauty influencer Jadé Marie after three years of dating and a supportive friendship
- The couple plans to build a life together with Allio’s son James while honoring his late wife’s memory
Michael Allio is pushing back after followers suggested he’d “never be over” his wife’s death amidst announcing his engagement to fiancée Jadé Marie.
The Bachelorette alum, who competed on Katie Thurston’s season in 2021, shared on Aug. 5 that he is engaged to Marie, a beauty influencer, after three years of dating. Allio, whose late wife Laura was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and died nearly two years later, has long shared about his grieving journey on social media.
After posting his engagement news, Allio shared a video on his Instagram thanking his followers for their support and addressing an “honest conversation” he needed to have with his fanbase.
“Over the years, I was told I wasn’t ready. That I’d never be ‘over it.’ That loving someone new meant I was leading them on because some part of me would always belong to the past,” Allio wrote in his caption. “And some of those same people who sent those messages are now sending hearts and congratulations.”
View this post on Instagram
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Allio, who shares his son James, 9, with his late wife, explained that grief is a “complicated reality” and added that finding love again “doesn’t mean you loved the person you lost any less.”
“A widowed person can carry what happened to them and still move forward. We can remember and rebuild,” said Allio. “We can miss what was and be deeply grateful for what is. Those things are not contradictions.”
“Jade never asked me to erase a chapter of my life in order to write one with her. She had the courage and compassion to understand the whole book,” he added. “That is love.”
View this post on Instagram
Allio and Marie were first friends before their relationship turned romantic. After seeing his story on The Bachelorette, Marie reached out to share that she was moved by his story. The two remained in touch platonically, and about three years ago, they started dating.
Eventually, the beauty creator moved from California to Akron, Ohio, to live with Allio and James. Allio proposed to Marie on July 31 at the Seiberling Nature Realm in Akron.
“Our journey has always felt as though something greater was guiding us to one another,” the soon-to-be married couple exclusively told PEOPLE. “The engagement was never our destination — it was the beginning of the life we’ve both been dreaming about.”
They added, “The greatest gift is knowing we get to spend the rest of our lives waking up beside our best friend, raising James together, and writing the next chapters of our story as a family.”
Read the full article here
