The Bachelorette alum Michael Allio he hopes that his ex Katie Thurston she will be able to “beat” her stage IV breast cancer diagnosis.
“We text each other all the time,” Allio, 41, said to himself Us Weekly on Thursday, May 7, while promoting her children’s book, Where the Wild Heart Grows. “His journey is incredibly difficult, and I feel for him.”
Thurston, 35, was there diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2025 and had a double mastectomy late last month.
“I sympathize Jeff [Arcuri, her husband] and because being a caregiver is often a very lonely place,” Allio, his the wife Laura Ritter-Allio she died in 2018 after a battle with breast cancer, the report said Us. “The heroes can really be sung, and the way the relationship looks, it feels like it’s very supportive.”
Thurston served as the Bachelorette in 2021 season 17, where she met Allio. He finally finished them before the fantasy suites. Thurston moved on with Arcuri, 38, following their brief engagement Blake Moynes. Thurston and Arcuri married in March 2025 amid his battle with cancer.
“I subscribe to his broadcast [channel] on Instagram and try to keep up, but at the end of the day, it’s really their journey as a couple,” Allio added Thursday. “I pray every day that he can get through this. I know he will be stronger because of it.”
Allio served as his wife’s caretaker until her death. The couple shares a son James, now 9 years old.
Katie Thurston.
Dipasupil/Getty ImagesThe Bachelor Nation alum wrote her first children’s book, Where the Wild Heart Growsto help explain the concepts of grief, loss and courage to other families.
“It was a learning process. It’s not something you’re born with,” Allio said Us. “You see, you stumble along the way. One thing I wanted to make sure I did was not teach my son to avoid pain, but learn to move past it and go with it.”
He went on to say, “I’ve been a parent to him, I understand that I’m struggling too, and I think that’s created a very strong bond and a safe environment, but to be honest, it wasn’t natural for me. I mean, we only know what we know when we grow up, but I know that I didn’t want cancer to take more than it had. I wanted to make sure that he deserved to live well in life.”
A somber Katie Thurston has opened up about her state of mind as she battles cancer. Taking to her Instagram Stories page on Tuesday, September 30, the former Bachelorette, 34, cried as she spoke to her fans about her life after being diagnosed with breast cancer in February. “Tomorrow is breast cancer awareness month, and I’m like, […]
Allio later started dating his girlfriend, Jade Marie Chapmanin 2025 after a short contact no Bachelor in Paradise the costar Danielle Maltby.
“I’m in a good place right now with my girlfriend, Jade, who is amazing, and I never felt like I was going to get there,” he gushes. Us. So, if you are listening and facing something, keep fighting, keep walking, keep thinking. It gets better, it never ends, but there is still your life there.
