Ben Higgins Gushes Over His 'Solid' Relationship With Jessica Clarke — And Reveals If Babies Are In Their Immediate Future

After some ups and downs on The Bachelor, Ben Higgins finally found his other half outside of Bachelor Nation. The 31-year-old, who is gearing up for his November wedding to Jessica Clarke, is ready to take on the world with his lady — but what’s the secret to their well-founded relationship? 

“Curiosity and empathy are the two things I always say, like we have a curiosity about each other and then when there is a misunderstanding or when something is not communicated right, there is a curiosity to figure out what was said that hurt the other person,” the Bachelor alum exclusively tells OK!. 

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He continues, “Empathy comes back into that — my life isn’t any better, and I don’t want to gain anything from her being hurt, but I don’t want to hurt her. She doesn’t want me hurt, so we are a team. Let’s talk this out, figure out where we’re at, let’s figure out how we can move forward or how we can heal, but let’s talk through it first. I think that is what helps us because everything is on the table. I know that she has my back. I have zero doubt that she is a partner and teammate to me, desires for me to thrive and I feel the same way about her, so I think that’s why we’re solid because we’re both each other’s biggest fans.” 

The duo started dating in 2018 and got engaged in 2020, and since then, their romance has flourished. Over time, Higgins has come to love Clarke’s “desire to love people well.” 

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“She really loves people,” he explains. “I can be a critic, and she just can’t be, and so when I hear her speak so kindly all the time, it makes me want to speak kindly because I know if I start criticizing stuff, she ain’t gonna respond, and so I am left feeling stupid and mean. So, just her empathy and love and kindness for those around her — that is super admirable.” 

Even though the two aren’t even married yet, babies aren’t on their radar for the time being. “I mean, you never know what is going to happen,” he quips. “At some point! Hopefully, God willing at some point we will have children, but I doubt it will be any time too soon.”