Francesca and Harry of ‘Too Hot to Handle’ split up, citing long-distance troubles

Too Hot to Handle stars Francesca Farago and Harry Jowsey have called it quits.

The couple met while filming the Netflix series, which is a reality television dating game show that teaches single people to create genuine connections. If contestants engage in any sexual contact while on Too Hot to Handle, the prize money decreases (starting at $100,000).

Farago, 26, revealed the breakup news on Tuesday when she posted a five-minute YouTube video titled “Our Breakup” and shared that Jowsey, 22, was the one who ended the relationship because “he couldn’t do long distance anymore.”

“Harry and I are not together anymore. He decided to break up with me because he couldn’t do long distance anymore. I obviously was heartbroken. I did everything I could,” the 26-year-old Canadian reality star shared.

Farago currently lives in Vancouver, and Jowsey lives in Los Angeles, Calif. She said the breakup happened when she went to visit him while on a business trip.

“I didn’t even want to tell my friends because I genuinely thought we were going through a rocky period and that we were going to figure it out,” she explained, mentioning that she had plans to permanently move to Los Angeles to be with Jowsey. “I thought we were going to end up together. I thought we were going to get married.

“Couples fight and you go through arguments,” she said in the video. “We would argue every now and then, but it was never, for me, relationship-ending. And I think for him, small, little things ended up turning into relationship-ending arguments.”

Farago didn’t offer up many details on, but she suggested that certain “rumours” about Jowsey played a factor in the pair ending their relationship.

“There was a lot of rumours that came up that turned out to be true,” Farago explained. “I was getting sent a lot of screenshots and messages. I didn’t want to believe it because how could you have a wedding ring folder with someone, and how could you propose to someone, but you’re also saying I can’t be with you because of the distance. It makes me feel like I was being played.

“For me, I would have stuck by this person no matter what,” Farago added. “Through all the fights and everything, I would have never given up, but it wasn’t reciprocated. He was moving on and he is moving on, and I need to do the same.

“There are a lot of things I personally believe, for my mental health, that I cannot tolerate anymore. I cannot fake a relationship. I cannot pretend that everything is going to be OK,” she said while tearing up. “I’m deciding to come forward with this video to announce that we’re not together and we’re not getting back together because I needed to solidify that in my own brain.

“I can only tolerate so much and I need to move on, and the only way I can move on is by making this video and telling everyone,” she added.

Jowsey also confirmed the breakup in a tweet, writing: “Going to go live on Instagram tomorrow to explain why I broke up with Francesca. Thanks for the love & support. Nothing bad has happened so please don’t jump to conclusions. I’ll explain it all tomorrow in details. Thanks for understanding x.”

In April, Farago told Entertainment Tonight that she loves Jowsey “so much it’s actually crazy to think about because the circumstances that we met are unlike any other.”

“I think we are going to be connected for life,” Farago, originally from Ottawa, told the outlet. “It’s hard being away from him because he is in Los Angeles and I am in Vancouver. But once this quarantine is over, we are going to move in together, and it’s going to be amazing and magical. We are going to get married and have kids!

“Right when I met him, I’m like, ‘That’s it, you are all I need.’ I think everything that happened (on the show) pushed us to get closer in the end,” she continued. “There were a lot of mistakes made on both of our parts, but all of the crazy stuff we went through just ended up making us grow even stronger together.”

Jowsey revealed that Farago was looking to move to Los Angeles and the pair wanted to get a house together.

“Francesca’s looking at moving in or moving to L.A. And then we want to get a house so we can have a couple of goats and chickens and four dogs, which is ideal. But I think once we live together for probably four days, I’ll want to marry her. So that’s the next step,” Jowsey said.

He also revealed that they had “a shared folder of wedding rings.”

“We were talking last night about getting married so I can go across the border to see her,” Jowsey said.

“We want to get married,” he continued. “Right now, we just cherish each other that much more. We dated a few people in between, both of us, and I even said to the last girl I dated, I was like, ‘Hey, look, I’m still madly in love with my ex, and I’m so sorry but we can’t do this.’ And here we are, better than ever!”

Jowsey also proposed to Farago with a Ring Pop during the virtual reunion for Too Hot to Handle in May.

Farago later told Variety that the proposal “definitely needs to be done in person” and she was “not engaged” officially to Jowsey just yet.