She's doing a lot of defending these days. Original Bachelorette Trista Sutter defended the Bachelor franchise on Friday, May 29, following Chris Soules and Whitney Bischoff's split announcement.
Despite the many broken engagements experienced by Bachelor couples, the show's creator Mike Fleiss found the silver lining in the few success stories that have come out of the reality franchise.
3 weddings in 2 years ain't bad, #Bachelornation …
— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) May 29, 2015
Those couples include Bachelor Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici, Bachelorette Desiree Hartsock and Chris Siegfried, and Bachelorette Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum, all of whom have wed over the course of the last several years.
Sutter, 42, retweeted Fleiss' note on Friday and added her marriage to firefighter Ryan Sutter to the pile. "And I'll raise u an 11 yr marriage," the season 1 Bachelorette tweeted. "Hard work? Yes! Any marriage is! But without Bachelorette, no intro, no marriage."
Indeed, Trista met the love of her life Ryan on the show in 2003. Together, they share two kids, son Maxwell, 7, and daughter Blakesley, 6. Up next, she and the hunky fireman will return to reality TV with their very own HGTV series, Rocky Mountain Reno. In the June 2014 issue of Parade magazine, Trista reflected on how her marriage has thrived in relation to other Bachelor couples.
"I think being grateful," she mused. "Making sure that you are acknowledging how grateful you are for each other on a consistent basis, being realistic with each other, and knowing that he has to go for a bike ride or go for a swim, or work in the yard, he needs to have that alone time and I need to respect that just as he would respect me going to the gym or getting my nails done. And humor is a big part of our relationship. We obviously love each other, but we like each other also, you need to actually be friends with your partner."
It helps that she's witnessed solid examples of love in her life. On Thursday, Trista posted an Instagram photo of her maternal grandparents kissing.
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"71 years ago today (you read that right!), Jim Blakesley & Rosemary Zufall promised…for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness & in health, that they would love & honor each other until death parts them," Trista wrote. "Thankfully they continue to keep kicking through this life together…and inspiring me & our family along the way. Thank you for showing me what marriage & commitment truly mean. I love you Gma & Gpa. Happy Anniversary!! #truelove #rolemodels #grewoldtogether #upsanddownsbutneverouts."
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