Trista Sutter says there was a good reason she moved away from her family earlier this year — and it was all because of a TV show.

The bachelorette old, 51 years old, revealed in a Instagram post on Friday, November 15 that she was working on the third season of Special Forces: the toughest test in the world in May — around the same time, her husband, Ryan Suttersharing social media posts this sparked concerns about their relationship.

“Was it a divorce/nervous breakdown/mid-life crisis/death/trial separation in May?! Not unless that’s what you call it Special Forces: The World’s Toughest Test, Season 3! ,” Trista captioned a post showing a trailer for the show’s upcoming season.

“Luckily, none of these things are associated with my experience filming the show, but as you get a glimpse of in the trailer, the angel on my shoulder had to face some pretty big battles,” she continued. “You’ll have to tune in in January to see the battles unfold, but for now, I’m so grateful to be a part of this epic adventure. .

Trista’s most recent post came after the reality star’s husband shared a series of cryptic posts on social media in May, this led her followers to suspect that she had died or that the couple had encountered a problem in their marriage.

The fan response prompted Ryan, 50, to later clarify that Trista was “fine” and that as a couple they were “great”.

He added at the time: “Trista is at a point in her life where she’s a little searching. An opportunity presented itself that could help him in this quest. With the support of her family, she succeeded. Part of this process means that it is temporarily inaccessible to us. I miss her. We miss her.

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Trista too addressed the incident on Instagram around the same time, sharing some family photos with the couple’s two children – son Maxwell and my daughter Blakesley — joking, “Damn, people. Can’t a girl have a nervous breakdown/separation trial/midlife crisis/death/divorce in peace around here?! .”

“Seriously, for those concerned, I am safe and sound, happy and healthy, in love and grateful. ,” she continued, explaining that she had been given “an opportunity to step back and grow personal” which she entered. “with the unconditional support of my family and friends.”

Trista also defended Ryan, writing that he “doesn’t owe anyone an explanation or need permission to post what he wants to post and share what he wants to share . If you want to know the rest of the story, I will share when the time comes.”

Before Trista’s announcement involvement in the showRyan explained on The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever with Chris Harrison that he planned to share the posts on social media so his wife could look at them later and see “this is what happened while you were gone.”

However, he admitted that “it’s just blew up in my face and backfired on me“, while adding that “it was good to know that people still cared, worried and wondered” about him and his wife 21 years after their marriage. Bachelor appearance.

“It made me feel good to be noticed and it inspired me to pay more attention to others, when they are doing good or when they need help,” Ryan said. “In the end, like most things, everything worked out.”

Special Forces: the toughest test in the world Season 3 will premiere with a two-hour episode on Wednesday, January 8 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.