Ashley Hebert Says Her Marriage to J.P. Rosenbaum Pushed Her to the Brink
Former Bachelorette Ashley Hebert says she refused to jeopardize her health to save her marriage to J.P. Rosenbaum, revealing the crushing stress — and fears of autoimmune fallout — that pushed her toward divorce.
Ashley Hebert is not here to romanticize the end of a marriage. On the April 9 episode of the 'I Do, Part 2' podcast, the former Bachelorette said she ultimately walked away from J.P. Rosenbaum because staying felt like a health risk she was no longer willing to take.
'This marriage is going to kill me. It is going to kill me.'
What pushed her to leave
Hebert, 41, talked about how chronic stress can wreck your body over time, and she worried she was heading down that road. She stressed this was not meant as a dig at Rosenbaum, 49. It was about self-preservation and, more than anything, their kids: son Ford, 11, and daughter Essie, 9. Her calculus was simple — protect her health so she can be around for them long-term.
There was, she said, a very specific turning point. Something happened that made it crystal clear there was no going back. It was tied to a therapy session, and she is keeping those details private, but that was the moment it all clicked.
The therapy phase (and why it did not fix it)
Hebert says they truly tried. They did couples therapy for a long stretch, mostly on Zoom during the height of COVID-19. But toward the end, the dynamic started to feel off to her. On camera, she felt one version of the relationship; when the laptop closed, it felt like a different person was in the room. After all that work, nothing meaningful changed.
Even so, she is not anti-marriage. She told listeners she thinks couples should do what they can to make it work. But if you have really tried and the relationship is still unhealthy, she believes divorce is a valid choice — and she is genuinely happy in her second chapter as a single mom.
Where things stand now
Hebert and Rosenbaum split in October 2020 after seven years of marriage, and their divorce was finalized in October 2021. Since then, they have found a co-parenting groove and even take family trips together — including a Hawaii vacation in summer 2025. It is not the ending they pictured back in their franchise days, but it is a stable one.
Quick refresher on their Bachelor timeline
- 2011: Hebert appears on Brad Womack's season of The Bachelor (season 15), then leads The Bachelorette (season 7) the same year.
- May 2011: Rosenbaum proposes during her season finale.
- December 2012: They marry in a televised wedding.
- October 2020: They announce their separation after seven years of marriage.
- October 2021: Divorce is finalized.
- Post-split: They settle into co-parenting and take family trips, including Hawaii in summer 2025.