Ben Higgins Shares How Not Having Sex Before Marriage Helped His Relationship with Jessica Clarke

"It forced us to grow stronger together in our commitment to each other," Ben Higgins said on the Talking It Out podcast

Ben Higgins and Jessica Clarke Higgins made a crucial decision in their relationship that ultimately strengthened their bond before marriage.

During an appearance on the Talking It Out podcast, the season 20 Bachelor star opened up about how the couple "successfully accomplished" their "mission" to abstain from pre-marital sex. Ben, 33, also explained how this journey made them stronger.

"There's multiple angles to why that decision was made, right," he began. "I think people hear it from the outside and they assume it was strictly a faith decision. A religious decision might be the better way to explain that. It wasn't solely that."

"We both believe in Jesus. That is something that is at the foundation [and] the corner of our life. It is what we try to have everything come out of," he continued. "We also, because of that, do believe that sex is sacred. We believe it is something very powerful. Something very important to consider and hold dear, to talk about, to express. We also believe it's an awesome thing. It's a gift."

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While Ben had engaged in that level of physical intimacy prior to their marriage, Jessica, 26, had not. This led to a conversation between the couple to decide how they would proceeded forward.

"We both talked it out and said, 'What is the wise thing to do here for us?'" he said. "It was, 'Hey, you've worked so hard to keep this moment special for you and I have had failed relationships where that has been a part of my life. And so, let's try. Like, let's see what happens there because we have a whole life together.'"

But that plan had its challenges, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Ben said the couple, who got engaged in March 2020, "didn't think COVID was going to shut down our wedding."

"So the question was what came of that? ... It wasn't easy. So it forced us to grow stronger together in our commitment to each other," he continued. "It also got us really excited for when we did get married. There was something very special there. Something that we were going to work through as a married couple when we had already committed our lives to each other."

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Added Ben, "Finally, I think there was a level, too, where because that physical part of our relationship was not an option, it forced us and allowed us to communicate with our words a lot easier. So we talked things out."

Ben also said he would "very much push against" not abstaining from pre-marital sex in a committed relationship, though "it was right" for his own bond with Jessica. "I think it was a healthy decision," he noted.

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Ben and Jessica tied the knot in November at The Estate in Cherokee Dock near Nashville, Tennessee.

As their relationship continues to progress, welcoming children together isn't out of the realm of possibilities. Ben previously told Entertainment Tonight: "It's in the back of my head a lot that I really want a family."