'Bachelor' stars Grant, Lamas break up

LOS ANGELES, July 24 (UPI) -- Matt Grant and Shayne Lamas, the couple who met on the most recent edition of the U.S. reality romance series, "The Bachelor," say they have broken up.

Grant, a British financier, chose Lamas, an actress from California, from among the 25 female contestants who competed to win his heart on the series. He proposed to Lamas in the show's last episode, which aired in May, and Lamas accepted.

"We tried hard to make it work but we realized that we were both heading in different directions," the former lovebirds said in a statement to People magazine Thursday. "We truly care about each other and will remain close friends."

Neither Grant nor Lamas offered details about the split, People.com said.