Why Clayton Echard and Susie Evans Are Going to Stop Living Together

Clayton Echard and Susie Evans are moving apart -- but not parting ways. The former Bachelor appeared on the latest episode of Dear Media's Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, and revealed that, though he and Evans are currently living together in Virginia Beach, Virginia, they'll be moving to separate states in the near future.

"I'm moving to Scottsdale, [Arizona], and then she's going to move in the interim to L.A.," he said of himself and Evans, a wedding videographer. "It's ​only a 50-minute flight apart, but we're both chasing our dreams. I think for location-wise, we both feel that those are the spots that we want to be. I'm working on my computer 10,12 hours a day, so she was like, 'Clayton, I'll move to L.A. and then we can travel on the weekends to see each other.'"

As for if he's confident the arrangement will work, Echard seemed hopeful that it could.

"We'll see. We don't know if we're going to like that long distance [thing]... People might look at us and think, 'Oh, they're separating,'" he said. "But this past weekend she went to film a wedding and I missed the hell out of her. When she came back, it was like that distance makes the heart grow fonder. We haven't been able to keep our hands off each other. We've just been attached to each other's side."

Though Echard believes that "a little distance never hurts," he said that both he and Evans are open to living together again should the distance prove too hard.

"She has her own dreams and aspirations and I think we're going to give it a shot," he said. "If it doesn't work and we're like, 'We don't like this distance, it's hurting us,' then one of us will move to the other person."

Despite their upcoming moves, Echard said he and Evans are "very, very happy right now and in a really great spot." The update came after the pair had a tumultuous Bachelor journey, in which Evans turned down Echard's ask for a relationship after learning of his actions in other Fantasy Suites, before reconnecting with him post-show.

"We went through it. Together, though, thankfully," he said. "She's been on my side and that's the only reason why I can sit here with so much positivity, it's because of her."

"I don't think I would've had the growth that I've had if it wasn't for her alone," he added. "... We don't need to be in a relationship for anybody other than ourselves. We're not doing this for Bachelor Nation or anything like that. But we both came to the conclusion that we were like, 'You know what? Whatever happens we'll forever be thankful for part of each other's life because we both made each other better human beings.'"

When ET spoke to Evans after The Bachelor finale, she praised Echard, stating, "There were tough conversations or tough moments, but ultimately I am very proud of him for following his heart, and just for being the kind and compassionate person that he is, and [for] growing so much through this."

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