Chris Olsen and Ian Paget Explain Why They Broke Up

Last week, the TikTok stars confirmed their breakup after two years of dating in separate statements issued to E! News, with Olsen writing that they wanted to "take some time apart and grow as individuals" and Paget reassuring fans that his ex was still his "best friend and always will be." Now though, the exes are giving their followers some insight into what led to their split, and it turns out that a big reason behind their decision was the "pressure" of being seen as this "perfect amazing couple."

"Being in the public eye the way that we've been through these last like year and a half, two years, is wild," Paget said on Thursday in a joint YouTube video with Olsen.

"For now, we've just decided that it would probably be in our best interest to be moving through the world unromantically," he said, before adding that they were "okay" and also wanted their fans to know that "just because we're not together in a romantic relationship, doesn't mean that we can't work on a very meaningful, deep connection and relationship. I will always love this human so much."

Olsen then chimed in by saying while they knew no one "meant to put that pressure" on them, being upheld as a romantic ideal still caused a strain in their relationship, especially since they were only together for seven months prior to their accidental TikTok fame.

"When you've only been together for seven months, you don't even know each other that well," Olsen explained. "So to suddenly be shipped as this perfect amazing couple — who, if we ever were to break up, people aren't going to believe in love — was just like a lot pressure."

However, Paget once again stated that they were still going to be close, saying that "life happens and being in this public eye is crazy."

"So we just kind of ask for some privacy, some support," he went on to add. "We'll still be in each other's lives and we'll still be in your guys' lives together, separate."

Watch their entire video below.

Photo via Getty / Emma McIntyre