Bachelor Nation
‘Bachelorette’s Katie Thurston & Fiancé Jeff Arcuri Reveal Family Plans Amid Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Katie Thurston has an extremely supportive partner in fiancé Jeff Arcuri as she deals with breast cancer. The couple appeared together on Good Morning America to discuss the diagnosis and their plans for the future now that their lives have changed drastically.
Thurston and Arcuri got engaged in August, just over two months after they went public with their relationship. Before The Bachelorette alum was diagnosed with breast cancer in February, they expected this time in their lives would be focused on “planning a wedding [and] trying for a baby.” Now that’s all changed.
“Instead, we know that this year’s really dedicated to just treatment and getting better,” Thurston said. The two are still planning for their future, though, with Thurston preventatively freezing her eggs before beginning chemotherapy. Her treatment plan is to do chemo to shrink her tumor before having surgery.
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“We’ve done everything we can to be proactive for our future and our family plans,” Thurston shared. “But in the event that IVF didn’t work out, in the event that chemo did impact me in a negative way when it comes to my reproductive health, we’re also okay with being a childless couple.”
While going through this difficult time, Thurston is grateful to have Arcuri by her side. He recently canceled upcoming international tour dates to be with her in New York City for treatment. “They say laughter’s the best medicine and I will say, him being my partner, I really couldn’t have asked for someone better being by my side,” she gushed.
Who is Katie Thurston’s fiancé?
Arcuri is a comedian. He has appeared on Comedy Central’s Roast Battle, Laughs on Fox, Windy City Live, and more. He’s also appeared in comedy clubs across the country. After her time on The Bachelorette, Thurston began dabbling in stand-up comedy, which is how the two first connected.
The two actually met online in April 2024 and were talking for about a month before meeting in person. At the time, he was living in NYC, while she was in Los Angeles. Their initial online connection was over comedy pursuits.
Thurston and Arcuri wasted no time taking their relationship to the next level. He proposed in Hawaii in August, and they shared the news with fans the following month.
What happened to Katie Thurston and Blake Moynes?
Thurston was the lead for Season 17 of The Bachelorette in 2021 after dating Matt James on The Bachelor earlier that year. She got engaged to Blake Moynes at the final rose ceremony. Moynes had previously been a contestant on Season 16 with Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams but joined Thurston’s cast during Episode 4.
Thurston and Moynes went public with their engagement after the August 2021 finale of The Bachelorette, but they split just two months later. The split was mutual, and the exes were amicable when they reunited on Season 9 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2023 (Moynes was a contestant, while Thurston made a guest appearance for a stand-up comedy roast). It was their first time seeing and speaking to each other since the breakup.
During the reunion, Thurston apologized to Moynes for how things went down, and they ended things amicably, if not a bit awkward.
Following her split from Moynes, Thurston dated John Hersey, another contestant from her season, until June 2022. She also starred on Season 3 of FBoy Island in 2023 and chose Vince Xu. However, by the time the finale aired, the two had split. “To @vincexu — I’m thankful our paths continued to cross and that you are now part of a chapter I’ll never forget,” she shared on social media.
She later added, “If I’m ever asked to go on reality TV to date again, please just cancel me. Three times and [it] doesn’t work out? Maybe reality TV isn’t where your husband is, just a thought.”
