Ben Higgins & Lauren Bushnell Breakup: Lauren’s Jealousy Over JoJo Tearing Couple Apart, Insiders Claim

Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell are reportedly headed toward a breakup with rumors claiming that Lauren has been unable to shake the jealousy over Ben’s feelings for Bachelor runner-up JoJo Fletcher.

There have long been rumors that Ben and Lauren were not built to last, and even before The Bachelor ended last month, there were widespread reports that they were nearing a split over Ben’s lingering feelings for JoJo. On the show, Ben shared “I love you”s with both Lauren and JoJo, and viewers saw him agonizing over the final decision on who to propose to.

Now, reports claim that the uncertainty over Ben’s feelings is tearing the couple apart. OK! magazine reports that Lauren Bushnell “wishes Ben Higgins never picked her,” and other reports claim that she actually wishes she could switch places with JoJo, who is now the center of attention on the next season of The Bachelorette.

“JoJo’s on a show where all these amazing guys are competing for her and her alone, and JoJo gets her pick,” a source told Life & Style (via Celeb Dirty Laundry). “She won’t have to deal with a guy who likes her and another woman.”

Lauren’s jealousy isn’t going away, either. A source told Extra TV that the tension between Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell grew after she learned how close Ben had become with JoJo on the show.

“Their relationship is extremely tense right now,” an inside source told the show. “Lauren tries not to think about it, but she’s traumatized that Ben told another girl he loved her. Everyone around them can feel the awkwardness. It’s unclear if they’ll last. Things between them are getting worse.”

But it’s not clear how much truth there is to the Bachelor breakup rumors. Every season the winners are inundated with reports that they will be breaking up, and while this often ends up being the case, the reports are often unfounded.

For their part, Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell have done a lot to show that the breakup rumors may be just that — rumors. Away from the media spotlight, the couple appears to be starting their life together and was seen this week preparing the home they will live in together.

The Daily Mail caught the couple doing some shopping for home supplies, including paint and other items for the home they plan to renovate in Denver.

“It’s no secret that the majority of Bachelor proposals end in heartbreak.

“But Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell are determined to make it work, and have just celebrated a relationship milestone: moving in together.

“Last week, the couple were spotted shopping for items for their first home together – a two-bedroom house in Denver, Colorado.”

Ben had previously said that he and Lauren plan to take a step away from the spotlight once they finished the media blitz required of Bachelor couples, which itself could be accounting for some of the breakup rumors.

“The spotlight is not a desire of mine, right?” Higgins told the Associated Press, via Us Weekly. “If it happens, it happens and that’s great and grand and whatever you want to call it. Opportunities? Yeah. I have a great job right now and Lauren has a great job. It’s been fun for us.”

And if there is a breakup ahead for Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell, the couple is certainly keeping it under wraps. Lauren has shared plenty of happy pictures of the couple in Instagram, and during their home shopping trip they looked nothing like a couple on the verge of breaking up.

[Image via Instagram/Lauren Bushnell]