‘Golden Bachelor’ Star Peg Munson Splits From Mel Owens After a ‘Very Difficult’ 30 Days

The Golden Bachelor star Mel Owens is single again after Peg Munson confirmed she had ended their relationship nearly a year after the couple found love on the ABC dating show.

In an emotional Instagram video shared on Wednesday, October 21, Munson, 63, revealed she had decided to walk away from the romance, admitting the past month had been particularly painful.

“I’m really sorry that I haven’t spoken out sooner, but it’s been a really difficult 30 days for me,” the reality star told followers. “As a lot of you guys know, I went on The Golden Bachelor hoping to find love, and I did. For that, I’m grateful.”

Munson explained, “I did have to make the difficult decision to step away from the relationship. Sometimes even when there’s love, it just doesn’t turn out the way we hoped.”

She added that she was now focused on “healing my heart” and prioritizing herself and her health as she looked toward the next chapter of her life.

Despite the heartbreak, Munson expressed gratitude for her time with Owens, 67, and the support she had received from fans. “I’m grateful for the memories,” she said, before thanking followers for their messages and well wishes.

The former couple met during the second season of The Golden Bachelor, which concluded in November 2025.

Rather than proposing during the finale, Owens presented Munson with a 3.5-carat diamond commitment ring designed by Neil Lane, signaling his intention to continue building their relationship without immediately getting engaged.

At the time, Munson told Us Weekly that the pair wanted to establish a solid foundation their own way before making any major commitments.

“We just wanted to move forward, and we wanted to grow our love story, and we wanted to write it the way that we wanted to write it. Not fantasy land or what Bachelor has always done. We just needed to stay true to ourselves.”

Their breakup ends a romance that had faced scrutiny from the beginning.

Before his season premiered, Owens, a retired NFL linebacker, sparked backlash after discussing his dating preferences on the In the Trenches podcast, saying he preferred women between the ages of 45 and 60 and hoped to avoid contestants with “the artificial hips and the wigs.”

Owens has not yet publicly commented on the breakup.