Keeping it real. While Bachelor Nation couple Ryan and Trista Sutter remain happily married 15 years after appearing on The Bachelorette, the NFL alum admitted he was uncomfortable watching his wife dating other men on the reality series.
Ryan, 44, opened up about his experience on the show during an episode of Reality Life With Kate Casey released Friday, May 10. When the host asked how long it takes to “let go” of being in the final round with another suitor on The Bachelorette, he explained how this issue still bothers him.
“I still find it difficult. Honestly, I didn’t think about it at all while I was on the show,” he began, “You kind of knew that Trista was out dating, but I didn’t spend a lot of time, you know, inside my head imagining what was going on on those dates. We were having a really good time on our experiences and I don’t remember a whole lot of discomfort in the fact knowing that she was dating other guys at the time.”
Added Ryan: “Where I really began to, I think, struggle with it was when the show started to air and you visually saw her with other guys, kissing other guys or heading off to the Fantasy Suite with other guys.”
Ryan won Trista’s heart in season 1 of The Bachelorette in 2003. The couple then exchanged vows later that year in a televised wedding. They are currently parents to Blakesley, 10, and Maxwell, 11.
As Trista’s throwback season of The Bachelorette has started airing for free on the TUBI app, Ryan confessed he’s not looking forward to reliving it because it “was really hard to watch” their season and even their wedding.
“People are always [like], ‘Well, aren’t you excited to be able to watch this again?’ I’m like,’For me, no.’ I’m like the one person, probably — the one fan of The Bachelor–Bachelorette series that doesn’t particularly want to watch that show because it is hard,” he explained. “I can’t imagine there’s a person in the world that wants to go back and watch their significant other in intimate relationships with other people, you know? And now we’re at the stage where our kids can go back and see it.”
Ryan and Trista spoke with Us Weekly on May 1 at TUBI’s Go Binge Yourself Newfront event about how they worry about their children watching The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. At the time, the former football player said they likely won’t “have a choice these days” on if their children see the reality franchise.
