Bachelorette Jillian Reacts to Jake & Vienna’s Breakup: “Someone Is Hurting Here”

Bachelorette's Jillian Harris and fiancé Ed Swiderksi are no strangers to public scrutiny and criticism in the tabloids, and now Jake Pavelka — who was a contestant on her season of the reality dating competition —is again facing criticism for his controversial relationship with now ex-fiancée Vienna Girardi.

"People think that they are just reality stars, relationships come and go, or they did it for publicity," Jillian tells OK! of the couple's split, which OK! was the first to report on.

"But the truth is someone is hurting here... Maybe it's both of them, and that saddens me. Even if everyone thought they ‘weren’t meant to be,’ they wanted to be, or wanted to prove they could be. And it is always heartbreaking when your goals or dreams don’t quite amount up to what you wanted them to be."

OK! EXCLUSIVE: JAKE PAVELKA & VIENNA GIRARDI — IT'S OVER!

Jillian, who met Jake and Vienna at OK!’s Pre-Oscar Party back in March with Ed, shared her sympathy for the Bachelor alum: "I send big hugs to both of them and hope their hearts heal quickly, and people are easy on them. Again, to remind people who are quick to judge — they are just regular people, who really believed in love."

OK! EXCLUSIVE: VIENNA'S JEALOUS SIDE SPURS SPLIT WITH JAKE

The interior decorator has also shared with OK! that she and Ed have "hit a rough patch" recently, which has Jillian to "slow down" on the drinking, Ed "not so much."

The couple has yet to set a date on their wedding, but Jillian is focusing on having a "healthy lifestyle and focusing on things that make her happy."

OK! EXCLUSIVE: JAKE VS. VIENNA — DID SHE CHEAT?