The Photo That Made Ben Higgins Slide Into Now-Fiancée Jessica Clarke's DMs
A lesson on why you should always tag your location on Instagram.
instagram Ben Higgins' fiancée Jessica Clarke has Instagram to thank for their relationship.
In an interview with Live Original, the Bachelor alum revealed that he and Higgins met after he saw her in a photo on Instagram.
According to the interview, Higgins was spending time in Nashville where Clarke was working. He wanted to see which hockey teams were playing and happened to check Instagram for the info, where he saw a photo that Clarke posted from a Nashville Predators game.
Higgins reportedly took a screenshot of the photo and slid into Clarke's DMs a few months later.
"We've talked every day since," Higgins told Live Original.
Naturally, we wanted to know what kind of photo would attract a former Bachelor contestant into the DMs, and it's so wholesome.
Higgins first made his relationship with Clarke Instagram official in February 2019.
"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. Stay tuned for the journey," Higgins wrote.
In March 2020, he asked Clarke to marry him after two years of dating. Of course, she said yes.
In an Instagram post about their engagement, she wrote, "I don't remember everything you said, but I know that I said yes. I woke up in a dream today and I get to live in this dream every day from now on (eeeep)."
Higgins was super emotional when he discussed his proposal in his own Instagram post.
"From my first date in life to the moments in between they all led me to getting down on one knee in front of you. This weekend I asked Jessica to give me the honor of being her partner for life," Higgins wrote. "She said YES! I now officially have the most beautiful, kind-hearted, supportive, well-intentioned person to spend life with! Our adventurous ride through life together is just starting @jessclarke_! Let's celebrate ... but for now, let's stay home and isolate."
They now co-own two fitness centers together, one in Nashville, Tennessee, and one in Denver, Colorado.
Their gym is called SweatNet, which is in Nashville, where she lives, and in Denver, where he lives. Right now they are offering online exercise classes for free during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clarke believes that faith plays a major role in their relationship.
Her Instagram bio showcases the Bible quote, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" — 1 Thessalonians 5:16.
She told Live Original, "faith is foundational. Our relationship wouldn't work or make sense without our faith being front and center. It's a grounding force for us."
But what's great about their relationship is that she is completely supportive of his role on the Bachelor. When his season was going to be replayed on TV, she posted this post on Instagram.
She said, "Cheering you on from afar tonight. I'm so proud of who you are and happy for all of the steps that led me to you! You make me smile so big it smushes my face."
What an amazing couple. They are the perfect example of the forever kind of love everyone hopes for in life.
Higgins was first engaged to Lauren Bushnell, the winner of his season of The Bachelor. However, the two split in 2017.
"I have routines and consistencies in my life that for anybody else to come in and change that, for me, I was holding on to them way too close," Higgins said about his breakup with Bushnell.
Emily Francos is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture, and relationship topics.