'Confused' Ben Higgins Speaks On His 'Tough' Breakup From Lauren Bushnell - Plus, You'll Never Believe What's Next For Him

We truly did NOT see this in Ben Higgins‘ future.
As you know, the former Bachelor announced his split from his fianc├â┬⌐e Lauren Bushnell earlier this week — and now he’s opening up about the “tough” breakup and what’s next for him.
And… we don’t know how to tell you this… but the software salesman from Warsaw, Indiana is… starting… a podcast with notorious crier and serial Bachelor contestant Ashley Iaconetti.
Honestly, we’re just as surprised as you are.
The unlikely duo is teaming up for a podcast called Ben and Ashley: “Almost Famous” — and it launches Tuesday, May 23! Wasting no time!
Related: Couples From The Bachelor ├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥ Where Are They Now??
In a sneak peek of the series’ first episode, E! News reports Ben got real about what went wrong with his relationship with Lauren and his return to being a bachelor once again.
In typical Ben fashion, though, he was very respectful and “politically correct” when discussing the details. Boringgg.
The Denver resident said:

“Just to be as politically correct as possible and to also be as truthful as possible, Lauren will always be one of my best friends. It’s [a relationship] where I learned a lot about myself; I think she learned a lot about herself. Obviously, she knows me better than anybody else that has gone through this experience, and really probably anybody else in the world. It’s tough.”

Clearly, the heartbreak is “very fresh”:

“It’s hard to say goodbye to somebody that you spent so much time with and it’s hard to say goodbye to somebody that you really did believe was the one for you.”

So then what went wrong?
The 29-year-old explained that there was “no real saving or redemption to be done” and “it was for the best”:

“I think mutually Lauren and I saw that life was getting more difficult. I would say the joy that we felt toward our relationship at the beginning was├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥for some reason├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥slipping away, and we were both working very hard to bring that joy back. And it just never seemed to get there. So it was a long time coming but it wasn’t necessarily like we dragged it out.”

And despite being “a little confused,” Ben is hopeful that both he and Lauren will be better for it:

“I am a little confused, a little lost, but I’m doing alright. Life is going to be good and I know that from past experiences, any type of brokenness… Often times those situations can be turned into be a beautiful thing. I think that’s what’s going to happen here and that’s what I’m confident in today .. I believe that Lauren and I both will come out of this with a whole new season that is going to be very good for the both of us.”

We also learned that Lauren packed up her bags and took most of the former couple’s furniture to El Lay with her at the end of April… which is sad but also means Ben is working on reassembling his home following her departure.
As far as if he sees himself getting back out there on the dating scene, Ben said it “seems odd” to think about that right now, but added: