Inside Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi's Split: Troubled From the Start, Amicable In the End


Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi shocked Bachelor Nation on Friday when they called off their engagement.

While the news seemed heartbreaking to most, others weren't too surprised that they decided to end things five months after Viall proposed to Grimaldi on the season 21 finale of The Bachelor. Now, a source close to the brunette beauty tells ET that they believe the two were actually doomed from the start.

WATCH: 'Bachelor' Couple Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi Call Off Their Engagement After 5 Months

"Vanessa is extremely close to her family in Montreal [Canada] and is very connected to her community and her work there," the source explains. "Moving to Los Angeles or elsewhere long term was never really on the table for her. And, unfortunately, it seems as though Nick never had any intention of moving to Montreal."

"Vanessa's not really into the whole fame thing," the source adds. "She's had some fun with it, but that's not what she's about. Ultimately, they want different things."

Following The Bachelor and Viall's stint on season 24 of Dancing With the Stars, Grimaldi and Viall moved into an apartment together in downtown Los Angeles. The source believes she'll be back in Montreal in no time.

An additional source close to the couple added to those statements, telling ET, "Vanessa is an extremely down-to-earth girl and truly wanted that happily-ever-after with Nick."

"They both put in a lot of work in the relationship and care a lot for each other," the source continued. "However, time proved that they were better off parting ways in the end. It wasn't the distance or the limelight [that broke them up]. They just weren't the best match for each other."

A third source close to Viall said it was "very much a real relationship and there wasn't a straw that broke the camel's back."

"Nick wants to find someone to be with and so does Vanessa. They tried moving in together and supporting each other at different events, ultimately they just weren't compatible," the source continued. "They're still friends and keeping in touch. The split is very amicable." 

"Nick's friends in Bachelor Nation aren't surprised by the split," another source added. "Nick and Vanessa wouldn't really hang out much with everyone as a couple. It was usually Nick alone outside of events. People didn't feel like they knew Vanessa very well.”

Added another, “It seemed like from the start, he just did Bachelor to get on Dancing With the Stars."

Even members from Bachelor Nation questioned the couple's future, mainly because Grimaldi seemed to keep them at a distance. Multiple women from Viall's season of The Bachelor, including Jasmine Goode and Danielle Lombard, shared with ET that they had little to no communication with Grimaldi following the show -- and could therefore only judge the relationship from the outside.

"I think Taylor talks to [Vanessa], I think Danielle [Maltby] does. I've seen [Vanessa] here and there. There's no hard feelings, you know?" Goode said when she stopped by ET for a Facebook Live interview earlier this week. "I just say 'hey' when I see her. Keep it movin'. We're not, like, besties."

WATCH: 'Bachelor' Couple Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi's Advice for Rachel Lindsay: 'Take Things Slow'

As for whether Goode thought Viall was just acting on the show? She said it "sometimes" felt that way.

"I think he was just playing it up, you know?" she admitted, telling ET that only "time will tell" if Viall and Grimaldi would last.

"Vanessa's a very emotional person. I just don't know," she continued. "We'll see … she's really big on her family, so we'll see if she leaves."

Lombard had a similar story, revealing she had not seen or contacted Viall or Grimaldi since The Bachelor wrapped.

"Vanessa and I don't have a great relationship and I think after things happened with Nick, we just parted ways," she explained. "In terms of whether or not I think their relationship will last, I don't know."

"I think their relationship is very different than other, past Bachelor Nation couples," she added. "They seem to be a little bit more serious, compared to what I've seen from Rachel [Lindsay] and Bryan [Abasolo], or Kaitlyn [Bristowe] and Shawn [Booth]. Yeah, it seems a lot less playful."

And let's not forget Viall and Grimaldi's awkward After the Final Rose interview…

Watch below:

-- Reporting by Darla Murray and Lauren Zima

WATCH: 'The Bachelor: After the Final Rose': 13 Telling Things Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi Said About Each Other

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