Inside Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi’s Split

The Bachelor Nation was shocked on Friday when Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi called off their engagement, according to ET.

Most fans are heartbroken by the sad news but others weren’t too surprised that the couple decided to end things five months after Viall proposed to Grimaldi on season 21 finale of The Bachelor. A source close to 29-year-old brunette told ET that they believe the pair were doomed from the start.

“Vanessa is extremely close to her family in Montreal [Canada] and is very connected to her community and her work there,” the source revealed. “Moving to Los Angeles or elsewhere long term was never really on the table for her. And, unfortunately, it seems as though Nick never had any intention of moving to Montreal.”

“Vanessa’s not really into the whole fame thing,” the source continued. “She’s had some fun with it, but that’s not what she’s about. Ultimately, they want different things.”

Grimaldi and Viall moved into an apartment together in downtown Los Angeles after The Bachelor and Viall’s stint on season 24 of Dancing With The Stars.

“Vanessa is an extremely down-to-earth girl and truly wanted that happily-ever-after with Nick,” another source close to the couple told ET.

“They both put in a lot of work in the relationship and care a lot for each other,” the source added. “However, time proved that they were better off parting ways in the end. It wasn’t the distance or the limelight [that broke them up]. They just weren’t the best match for each other.”

A source close to Viall revealed it was “very much a real relationship and there wasn’t a straw that broke the camel’s back.”

“Nick wants to find someone to be with and so does Vanessa. They tried moving in together and supporting each other at different events, ultimately they just weren’t compatible,” the source added. “They’re still friends and keeping in touch. The split is very amicable.”

“Nick’s friends in Bachelor Nation aren’t surprised by the split,” another source said. “Nick and Vanessa wouldn’t really hang out much with everyone as a couple. It was usually Nick alone outside of events. People didn’t feel like they knew Vanessa very well.”

Some of the members from Bachelor Nation doubted the couple’s future, primarily because Grimaldi appeared to keep them at a distance. Several women from Viall’s season of The Bachelor, including Jasmine Goode and Danielle Lombard, told ET that they had little to no communication with Grimaldi after the show, and could therefore only judge the relationship from the outside.

Goode thought Viall was sometimes just acting on the show. “I think he was just playing it up, you know?” she revealed, adding that only “time will tell” if Viall and Grimaldi would last.

“Vanessa’s a very emotional person. I just don’t know,” she added. “We’ll see … she’s really big on her family, so we’ll see if she leaves.”

Lombard also shared that she had not seen or contacted Viall or Grimaldi since the show ended.

“Vanessa and I don’t have a great relationship and I think after things happened with Nick, we just parted ways,” she said. “In terms of whether or not I think their relationship will last, I don’t know.”

“I think their relationship is very different than other, past Bachelor Nation couples,” she continued. “They seem to be a little bit more serious, compared to what I’ve seen from Rachel [Lindsay] and Bryan [Abasolo], or Kaitlyn [Bristowe] and Shawn [Booth]. Yeah, it seems a lot less playful.”