“Survivor” alum Bret LaBelle and his much-younger boyfriend, Chris Stanley, have called it quits.
“Sometimes love means letting go,” the reality star, 51, wrote on Instagram Tuesday, alongside a photo of himself and his 25-year-old ex with their arms wrapped around each other.
“Chris and I have shared so many memories, laughter, and growth together, and I will always be grateful for that.”
“While our paths are now going in different directions, the care and respect remain,” LaBelle continued. “Wishing him nothing but happiness, love, and success on his journey. Thank you for the memories.”
Stanley shared his own post about the breakup, writing, “Yes, we broke up.”
“Some good things don’t last forever, but that doesn’t make them any less special,” he added. “I’ll always be grateful for the memories and the love Bret and I shared.”
Stanley wished the TV personality “all the happiness in the world” as they “move forward” on their separate paths.
The influencer also shared a YouTube video revealing that he and LaBelle pulled the plug on their relationship “a few months ago.”
“I took a few months to reflect on everything … to decompress [and] think about what I wanted to do next,” he said.
Stanley admitted he wasn’t comfortable detailing the split and didn’t intend to badmouth LaBelle.
“At least for me, what happened is, we kind of grew apart slowly,” he explained. “We were together for four years. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out, and that’s OK.”
“I don’t regret it,” Stanley continued.
Stanley read a text message LaBelle sent him after they parted ways that read, “It sucks it took me 47 years to find a relationship this good and for you, it’s your first. I’m going to miss you, man.”
The duo started dating after Stanley slid into LaBelle’s DMs around 2021.
They didn’t appear to mind their 26-year age gap despite previously being mistaken for a father-son duo.
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