Joan Vassos sought to dispel the whispers of death that had plagued her after an unfortunate online rumor circulated about her demise in a tragic accident. "First things first, I'm still very much alive," she quipped during the December 8 episode of the Almost Famous podcast with Ashley Iaconetti. "There were rumors of a tragic accident, but let me assure you, I'm still here."
The 62-year-old also addressed the concerns of the rumor mill regarding her relationship with fiancé Chock Chapple, whom she engaged to in the final episode of her Bachelorette season in November 2024. "I'm also not broken up with Chock," she clarified. "So, I'm alive and I'm still with Chock. We didn't break up."
The root cause of the breakup rumors stemmed from a Thanksgiving-themed post on Instagram that didn't directly mention Chock. "I talked about Thanksgiving because I was thinking, 'I'm thankful for my family, my friends,' and so on," she added. "I consider him family. So, I didn't mention Chock individually because he's my family. And I got a lot of backlash. Everyone was saying, 'They broke up.'"
Despite the frenzy, Joan is still alive, engaged, and looking forward to the holidays with her fiancé. "We do have plans for the holidays," Joan exclaimed. "We've booked an Airbnb in New York for most of December and into January. So, we'll be together a lot. And then he'll be at my house with my family for Christmas."
While the Bachelor Nation couple has their plans in place, Joan admitted that balancing their extended families during the festive season has made things a bit challenging. "We're kind of a work in progress now that there are grandkids," she shared. "That makes a big difference. I always did Christmas, and now that I have grandkids, I can keep it up even if my kids are grown. They come over to my house for Christmas."
Joan and Chock's busy holiday season serves as a make-up for the time they recently spent apart while Joan was working on a special project. Nevertheless, Chock revealed how they found a way to make it work. "We've made a commitment to see each other every other week," he told E! News in September. "We haven't had this real life that people normally have because you're living in the same town and see each other all the time."
Luckily for the duo, they have a game plan to help navigate their time apart. "Joan and I, from the fantasy suites, made a commitment that we would talk every day," he continued. "So, we talk at least twice a day, and it's great."
