The couple tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement that they "decided to end our engagement" five months after getting engaged
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty
Kevin Kreider and Devon Diep are going their separate ways.
In a joint statement shared exclusively with PEOPLE on Thursday, Feb. 26, the couple confirmed the split, further sharing that Kreider and Diep remain on good terms.
"After much thought and reflection, Devon and I have decided to end our engagement and move forward on separate paths,” the statement reads. “This was not an easy decision. We care deeply for one another and will always support each other. We are grateful for the time we shared, but at this point in our lives we believe we are better suited as friends.”
“We kindly ask for privacy as we navigate this next chapter,” it concludes.
Credit: Netflix
This comes five months after the Bling Empire alums got engaged in September. They announced the news in a since-deleted joint Instagram post featuring photos of them in Rome, where Kreider proposed.
“The most powerful question is ‘Will you marry me?’ " he began the post. “3.7 years after our second chance at love, we realize it's not just about love, it's about commitment towards each other and choosing to say yes, even when the highs aren't as high, and we have no idea how low the lows can be.”
“But when we hit rock bottom, we grew closer to each other and closer to our faith,” Kreider continued. “We rose out of the chaos and noise, distractions that were pulling us apart to a unity that is stronger because of the tests and trials.”
“We're happy to announce that we are officially engaged and we did it in style and it was beyond our wildest dreams. I can't wait to marry you ❤️.”
Kreider also shared a YouTube video of the proposal and soundbites from the speech he gave to Diep, where he acknowledged their on-and-off again relationship.
“When we first met, I know it wasn't love at first sight, but God had better plans for us,” he said in part. “We grew together, separate for a while, but I remember your loyalty, your love for me, your kindness, your heart, your soul."
He went on to praise Diep for her “always being there for me even when we were apart,” claiming that “everything I've ever done, my accomplishments [have] always been so we can be together and live a life.”
The speech concluded: “I love you for the woman you were and who you are and who you want to be. I choose you and it will be my honor if you choose me to be your husband.”
Credit: Cristina Arbunescu & Matteo Gabrieli – CM Photoitaly
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The former couple first dated before Bling Empire made its debut in 2021, but during Kreider’s tenure on the show, he pursued other women, including his co-stars Kelly Mi Li and Kim Lee. In season 3, he and Diep rekindled their romance and later documented the relationship on the fourth and final season of the Netflix show.
Cast member Christine Chiu ultimately facilitated their reunion after Kreider told her that he still had feelings for Diep. Chiu then flew Diep to surprise Kreider during their trip to Paris Fashion Week.
In the years since, the pair have opened up about relationship milestones, such as Diep moving from Boston to Los Angeles to Kreider giving her a promise ring in 2023.
“My promise to her is that we might not be where we want to be yet in life, but you are the woman I want on the ride with me,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “The ring before the ring! ‘The only diamond ring for the only one.’”
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