Trista Sutter resurfaced after her husband, Ryan Sutter, sparked concern about their relationship with a string of cryptic social media posts.
“Geez people. Can’t a girl have a nervous breakdown/trial separation/midlife crisis/death/divorce in peace around here?! 😜🤣,” Trista, 51, joked in a Saturday, May 25, post via Instagram alongside a photo of herself with her husband and kids on a beach.
“In all seriousness, for those concerned, I’m safe and sound, happy and healthy, in love and grateful. 🥰. For those who’d rather focus on being critical and searching way too hard for darkness, good luck with that. 🙃,” Trista wrote. “An opportunity for perspective and personal growth presented itself and with the unconditional support of my family and friends, I chose myself and betterment, knowing that my stay-at-home-mom job and my kids end-of-the-school-year needs were in the best, most capable hands.”
She also acknowledged that Ryan’s posts about her absence attracted quite a bit of attention. “My stoic husband who usually chooses privacy over posting, decided to share his love for me in messages that would find me in my travels,” she explained. “We look at Instagram like a digital diary. Most of the time, the world doesn’t pay too much attention. This time, he couldn’t say anything right and just about every news outlet picked up his ‘cryptic/confusing/attention-seeking/dramatic’ pictures and captions. To me, they gave me exactly what my Words of Affirmation love language needed to get me through some serious self doubt and fear … and that’s all that matters. He doesn’t owe anyone any explanation or require permission to post what he wants to post and share what he wants to share. 💯.”
Still, Trista couldn’t share too many details of where exactly she went — yet. “If you want to know the rest of the story, I will share in due time. For now, it’s back to our regularly scheduled programming – from a beach in Mexico! 🇲🇽 🏝️🤿 After all, nervous breakdowns and separations require much needed rest and relaxation! 😎,” she concluded.
Fans questioned the former Bachelorette’s whereabouts after Ryan, 49, shared a May 11 Instagram post about absence making the heart grow fonder.
“I can think of only a handful of days I have not, at minimum, spoken to this incredible woman,” he captioned a black-and-white photo of Trista. “She is the love of my life and my best friend. I cannot imagine loving her any more or any more fondly. But I guess we’re gonna find out. … I miss her already.”
The following day, Ryan fueled the speculation with a Mother’s Day tribute featuring the couple’s children, son Maxwell, 16, and daughter Blakesley, 15.
“I know you wish you were here for Mother’s Day. We wish you were too,” he wrote. “But sometimes being a mom means letting go of their hands, granting independence and stimulating their courageous spirit. Sometimes it’s necessary to exemplify the characteristics you preach — to do rather than say. Sometimes it takes being uncomfortable and scared to show them that it’s OK to be uncomfortable and scared. Sometimes you have to go away so they know you’ll come back, that your love is not limited by distance or difficulty or time. Sometimes you have to do what you sometimes have to do. We’re proud of you mama pajama for everything you do for us, near or far. Happy Mother’s Day!!!”
Later in the month, Ryan shared a cuddly photo of himself and Trista, lamenting their lack of contact.
“I really wish I could talk to you,” he noted. “I’d really like to hear your voice — just for a minute. So many times I’ve called without much to say, not realizing how lucky I was or how much I’d miss the opportunity if it were gone. I want to know how you’re doing. I want to support and encourage and cheer you on. I want to be there for you. But I can’t. And that’s OK ‘cause I know you need this time — time to discover yourself again.”
Despite the distance between the pair at the time, Ryan emphasized that he would be waiting for Trista when she returned.
“So I’ll be here for you instead,” he concluded. “I’ll be here when you get back. I’ll be here to listen to you, to smile with you, maybe cry with you — I’ll be here to love you … I’ll be here … forever.”
After concerned fans took to the comments section to speculate about Trista’s whereabouts and the state of the duo’s marriage, Ryan clarified his posts.
“I write what is on my mind at the moment,” he explained via Instagram. “I write my feelings without regard for how they will be interpreted and with absolutely no intent to deceive or mislead anyone — that is the farthest thing from my mind. I choose to share my thoughts on occasion because it helps me process them and, I hope, may help others navigate their own lives.”
Ryan then insisted that he and Trista — who tied the knot in December 2003 after meeting on season 1 of The Bachelorette — were not on the rocks.
“Trista is fine. We are fine. We’re great,” he wrote. “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. I miss her. We miss her.”
On Saturday, Trista shared a clip via her Instagram Story of Ryan sleeping in a hammock. “In his relaxation era,” she captioned the video.
