'Bachelorette' Andi Dorfman is 'heartbroken' over breakup with Josh Murray
By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, February 16, 2015
Last night, I was watching the "SNL 40th Anniversary" special in between "The Walking Dead" and "Real Housewives of Atlanta" and missed Atlanta's "Bachelorette" Andi Dorfman's emotional first interview since she broke up with Josh Murray last month.
She appeared with "Bachelor" host Chris Harrison on ABC's "Chris Tells All" special. (Chris Soule, not Harrison in that title. He's the Iowa farmer Andi rejected last year.)
"I'm heartbroken," Dorfman said. "This is the biggest failure of my life so far. I understand that."
She said when she and Murray appeared together last month at "The Bachelor" premiere and were persistently asked about wedding plans, they faced the reality that they hadn't set a date. Instead, they broke up later that week.
At the same time, she admitted they had been struggling for awhile, that they weren't really supporting each other. Was it career choices? Children?Religion? She didn't say.
"We were both very aware of the fact that we just didn't better each other," she said. "I didn't feel supported and empowered and I don't think I gave him the support and empowerment that he needed. When you have two very passionate, very strong personalities in one house and nobody can back down and nobody is the calming force for one another, it's a lot of tension in one house."
"Part of it is that we are really similar – that's part of the reason it didn't work. I do think it's a possibility to be friends with him. He's a huge part of my life. He's always going to be. I don't want to look back on that part of my life with regret," she said.
Early on after the taping last spring, she said they were inseparable and happy.
"I just remember we had the house and we couldn't get away from each other. We just laughed and had fun and cooked. I knew I had made the right decision. It affirmed that I made the right decision… I can envision sitting on his lap just laughing and joking and not caring about how people were sickened by how in love we were."
That clearly changed over time. They were socially active, appearing at film premieres and parties galore throughout the fall.
"I'll always love him," she said tearfully. "I've never experienced love like that. This was my first true love without a doubt and my first heartbreak."
An attorney, Dorfman didn't say what her plans were in terms of her career She had quit the Fulton County District Attorney's office after taking a leave to tape the show.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
