It all started with an Instagram DM.
Former Bachelor, Ben Higgins, and girlfriend Jessica Clarke opened up about their how they met, their relationship and the important role that faith plays in keeping each other grounded.
In a joint interview with reality TV star Sadie Robertson, the 30-year-old Bachelor revealed that he screenshot and saved a photo of Clarke for months before he finally got the courage to reach out to her.
During a trip to Nashville, Higgins was on Instagram searching through the app trying to figure out what hockey teams were playing against each that specific night. Clarke just so happened to be at the same game and she had posted a photo with her dad and tagged their location. So when Higgins came across the photo, he didn’t reach out right away. According to Higgins, he took a screenshot then waited a few months until he slid into her DM’s on Thanksgiving.
The two lovebirds have been inseparable ever since.
As far as Higgins’ first impression of Clarke? “An ability and a desire to empathize in all situations, a kindness and consideration really wanting me to be my best,” Higgins told Robertson during the Live Original interview. “Also, a joy in all circumstances.”
On the other hand, Clarke saw a “selflessness” in Higgins that she said she’d “never seen in anyone.”
“He leads those around him well, always putting their needs and considerations above his own. I saw that right away, and the more I get to know him, the more I see it’s true,” she continued.
While the two have only been romantically linked since January of this year when Higgins first revealed on his podcast that he had been dating someone and was in a long-distance relationship, the two seem to be head over heels for one another.
It wasn’t long after that Higgins and Clarke made their relationship public and Instagram official.
In February, the two took to Instagram to finally express their love for each other to the world. “I’ve been selfishly keeping this girl to myself for too long! Hey friends meet @jessclarke_!” he wrote to his followers at the time. “I successfully slid into her DM’s a few months ago. I took a risk and I am glad I did. She is someone special, and I look forward to where life is going to take us.”
During their interview with the former Duck Dynasty star, the two lovebirds also opened up about how big a role faith plays into their life and relationship.
According to the couple, “faith is foundational” and their relationship “wouldn’t work or make sense without our faith being front and center.”
To them, faith is a “grounding force” and “something that has led to the most challenging, but also the most fruitful conversations.” The two continued to discuss how they have never been afraid of digging deeper into their beliefs because it’s ultimately caused them to build a strong foundation.
“I fully trust in Jessica’s intentions and her heart, so when she pursues something I never want to be a boundary, but I want to find a way to be a facilitator and helpful partner to motivate her to continue to move forward. I believe that she has prayerfully considered her passions and her heart to know that what she’s doing is her calling,” Higgins said.
Clarke added: “I believe in everything he does and that he recognizes that he wouldn’t have any of this if it hadn’t been the Lord’s plan. With that, I know that God is going to continue to bless his efforts and I get so excited to see how he will use any new opportunity he gets. Being Ben’s biggest cheerleader is something I take a lot of pride in.”
In a nutshell, they hope that when people take a look at their relationship they’ll see realness and a genuine desire to show the good and the bad that comes with building and maintaining a strong relationship.
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