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Stay ahead with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more

Influencer Brianna Chickenfry has revealed she is “blindsided” after Zach Bryan announced their split on social media.

On Tuesday (October 22), the country singer posted a statement on his Instagram Story revealing that the two are no longer together. “Addressing something: Brianna and I have broken up with each other (sic) and I respect and love her with every ounce of my heart,” his statement began. “She has loved me unconditionally for a long time and I will always thank her for that.”

He continued: “I have personally had an incredibly difficult year and have struggled through some pretty serious things. I thought it would be helpful for both of us to date in different ways. I am not perfect and never will be.”

The “Something in the Orange” singer, 28, asked for “privacy and space” for both himself and the Barstool Sports host, whose real last name is LaPaglia, as they adjust to being no longer in a relationship.

“I’m sorry for everything I am and everyone I’ve let down. I do my best in everything. I have failed people who love me and especially myself,” his statement ended.

LaPaglia, 25, released a statement of her own on her Instagram Story soon after, seemingly responding to Bryan’s post.

“Hey guys, I’m really feeling blindsided right now. I’m going to get off social media for a while and try to heal privately. When I’m ready I’ll be back and ready to talk,” she wrote. “I love you both very much, thank you for all your kind words. Remember that you are so loved and everything will always work out.”

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In a YouTube video posted Tuesday, LaPaglia explained that the breakup happened just a day earlier. The BFFs The podcast’s co-host admitted she had no idea Bryan would publicly announce their split so soon.

“I just woke up when Zach posted on his Instagram that we had broken up, and I had no idea that message went up,” she said, filming herself sitting on the bathroom floor. “He didn’t text me, he didn’t call me.

“How can you give someone everything and love them so unconditionally through things you shouldn’t do… and then be thrown away in a few days? It’s really heartbreaking.”

LaPaglia later told fans that she wasn’t ready to reveal details about their breakup yet, but she will at some point.

The former couple first met at the ACM Awards in 2023. LaPaglia later confirmed their relationship last July, when the podcast host told her listeners that they had been hanging out for three weeks, but it was “fun and casual.”

They made their red carpet debut in February at the 2024 Grammys, where Bryan won his first Grammy Award for his duet with Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything.”

However, fans recently started speculating that the couple was no longer together after they stopped posting about each other on social media. Some Reddit users also posted alleged screenshots of Bryan on the exclusive dating app Raya, furthering rumors of a breakup.

LaPaglia addressed the breakup rumors during an episode of Barstool Sports’ BFFs podcast earlier this month, which she co-hosts with Dave Portnoy and Josh Richards. The episode came shortly after Bryan apologized for “drunkenly” tweeting about his preference for Kanye West over Taylor Swift and appeared to deactivate his X/Twitter account.

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“That was a very bad week for me. I deleted all my social media,” LaPaglia said when asked about the breakup rumors. “I don’t want to speak for Zach, but he kind of spoke for himself on Instagram. He’s just going through a lot of personal problems and I feel like I’m being affected by that.”

“It’s been a bad week where we… I mean, it’s crazy,” she continued. “We don’t post to each other for a week and that has taken the internet by storm. He’s going through a lot of personal stuff and I went home and just separated (myself).

Still, she clarified at the time that they were “together now and everything is fine.”

Just one day before announcing their split, LaPaglia shared a cryptic photo of a note written on yellow paper. The podcaster appeared to write on the paper: “And in the end, you will find that life goes on even when you don’t want it to. The days will pass and the world will move while you ask it to stop. You will believe that life is cruel if you continue with your feet stuck.

“You will find people and moments to blame for your concrete feet. Then comes a morning when you wake up and realize that everything continues: life is not cruel. Your feet are,” the message read. “The world keeps turning in the hope of showing you that you can do it too.”

The independent has reached out to representatives for Bryan and LaPaglia for comment.