'Bachelorette' star Trista Sutter reveals the real reason behind cryptic posts
Breathe a sigh of relief Bachelor Nation: Trista and Ryan Sutter are still together.
The first-ever "Bachelorette" revealed on Instagram Friday that she had been filming "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" in May when cryptic posts from her husband had sent fans into a tizzy.
"Was it a divorce/nervous breakdown/mid-life crisis/death/trial separation back in May?! Not unless that’s what you call Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, season 3!" Sutter wrote in the caption alongside a trailer for the show, which will premiere in January. With her addition to the cast, Sutter follows in the footsteps of other "Bachelor" alumni like Nick Viall and Tyler Cameron.
In May, Ryan Sutter sent fans speculating after a series of vague posts about missing his wife. The first, posted May 11, began: "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," and closed out its caption with "I miss her already." The following day Ryan posted a Mother's Day tribute in which he lamented his wife not being there − and the cryptic messages just continued.
On May 18, he clarified that the couple were fine, but did not add much additional context. "Trista is fine. We are fine. We're great," he wrote on Instagram, "Trista is at a place in life where she is searching a bit. An opportunity presented itself that may help her on that quest. With her family's support, she has taken it. Part of that process means that she is temporarily inaccessible to us."
On May 25, Trista Sutter took to Instagram to add her own two cents. "Geez people. Can't a girl have a nervous breakdown/trial separation/midlife crisis/death/divorce in peace around here?!" she joked in a caption alongside a photo of her with Ryan and their two children. "In all seriousness, for those concerned, I'm safe and sound, happy and healthy, in love and grateful," she wrote, clarifying that her husband's posts were messages of love meant to find her in her travels.
But, without any of the back story yet on those travels, fans still fretted over whether the pair were doing well. The reality star's latest announcement puts those fears to bed.
The pair, who have been married for almost two decades, represent something rare for Bachelor Nation − a love story with longevity. The longest-lasting couple in the history of the franchise, they are often held up as an example of how the show can work, despite most of its couples ultimately splitting.
Trista Sutter headlined the premiere season of "The Bachelorette" in 2003, giving her final rose to firefighter Ryan Sutter and marrying him in a televised ceremony later that year. Twenty "Bachelorettes" later, she has become a godmother-like presence in the universe of the show. Her love story is the gold standard against which countless broken engagements (and marriages) are measured.
The franchise recently added another "first" bachelorette − Joan Vassos − whose season of "The Golden Bachelorette" wrapped up last week. Vassos and her new fiance Chock Chapple will have big shoes to fill if they hope to keep the streak of the inaugural bachelorette alive.
Gerry Turner, the first "Golden Bachelor," and his final pick Theresa Nist have already divorced.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow