“He was afraid to tell me because he didn’t want to lose me,” Ashley Adionser said of her now-husband, Tyler Francis.

Warning: this article contains spoilers love is blind season 7.

love is blindIt is Ashley Adionser clarifies details regarding her current husband Tyler Francis‘ three biological children.

During an appearance on Nick Viallthe podcast, The Viall files, On November 6, Ashley opened up about finding out Tyler had kids and how she reacted to the surprising news. She explained that one night, while they weren’t filming, he revealed that he had been hiding something from her.

“(He said,) ‘This is also something that, if you found out, would potentially be difficult to deal with,'” Ashley recalled. “This is something you will have to learn to accept. »

“I’m like, ‘What? Do you have kids or something?’ “, she continued about their conversation. “He’s not laughing. No, he’s not laughing. And my heart sank.

Related: love is blind: Tyler Says He ‘Owes No One But Ashley’ an Explanation During ‘Bombshell’ Season 7 Reunion (Exclusive)

At first, she said Tyler was vague about the situation, saying only that he was a sperm donor for a lesbian couple.

“He was afraid to tell me because he didn’t want to lose me,” Ashley said. “And I was like, ‘This is a theft.’ You stole my choice. Because in pods, all factors come into play. You know? And I was so caught off guard.

The two talked for five hours, Ashley recalled, saying she was so in shock she almost didn’t ask any questions. Initially, she said her priority was to find out if Tyler was a liar at heart.

“I asked him, ‘If I had to sit down with your ex right now or any flings or people you’re dating, what would they say about you?'” she explained. “Because for two reasons: One, I want to see if I can see any vestiges of this behavior and start looking for it – not that I’m looking for it, but just start paying attention to it. And secondly, I want to see how you’re going to respond because it’s a red flag when men blame everything on a woman.

“So for me, it was refreshing for him to say, ‘Yeah, they’d probably say I wasn’t the best,'” she added. “And he talked about it. Like, “I wasn’t the best at dating at all. ” You know? And so for me, that wasn’t a red flag.

Related: love is blindTyler Speaks Out on Sperm Donor Situation, Says His Kids ‘Didn’t Sign Up for This’

Ashley then delved into Tyler’s relationship with the children – whose sperm he provided when his friend got married, and twins born after his friend’s wife left. Ashley explained that Tyler grew up without a father, so when his friend, whom he met in the military, became a single mother, he decided to step in as another parent, rather than playing the role of “uncle” that he played before.

“They knew him as their biological father,” Ashley said. “And it’s very taboo and very strange to think about, but I don’t think there are any rules governing adoption or sperm donation or egg donation. I think it was a mistake on his part to blur those lines so much because of the kids. Not just the wife, but the children. And I know she wanted it to be primarily a boy role.

Once she learned how Tyler became a father, Ashley said it was easier for her to understand why he kept it a secret in the pods. Calling it a “problem” in their relationship, she said his confession did not cause her to lose confidence, but simply “damaged” her confidence at the time.

“What he did for his friend was a noble thing,” she said. “It was a good thing. And then that he also enters this family when his partner leaves, another noble thing. But should he have done it? One could argue that this may not be the case. His reasoning for doing it is because he wanted to do the right thing, and it almost completely blew up in his face.

Related: love is blind Season 7 Couples: Who Got Married and Who Said “I Don’t”

A few years before continuing Love is blind, Ashley shared that Tyler and the children’s mother had a conversation about her role in their lives going forward. According to Ashley, whenever the mother was in a new relationship, she wanted Tyler to be less involved, so he decided it wasn’t his position to raise the kids.

“He started to slow down and come back (less) and basically said something like, ‘You know, I just don’t have a connection with these kids,'” Ashley explained. “And she’s hurt because she’s like, ‘Well, why? Why not you? Because they’re always nice to your kids. Why don’t you have a connection? He’s like, ‘You know, This is your family, and that’s not what I signed up for in the first place.’ I know I stepped in to try to help. I know I said I’d be there for the twins.’

“Biologically, they’re still his children, so he feels a certain way, but he says, ‘I can’t do this,'” she continued. “She was disappointed, and I can understand why she was disappointed too. But he says, “I just don’t want to have any connection with you or them because if I talk to you, even if you’re my friend for a long time, I couldn’t not talk to the kids. And I think that ‘it’s better that I withdraw.’

Related: love is blind: The biggest bombshells from the season 7 reunion

Tyler and Ashley said “I do” in the Season 7 finale before opening up about your situation as a sperm donor during the reunion. For his part, Tyler insisted that he was always upfront with Ashley and only lied on camera to protect his children.

“These kids, this family, they didn’t sign up for this,” he said. “I played a role that became very fragile with a friend. There are no rules to follow… but I want people to know that Ashley knows all of this.”

“I don’t owe an explanation to anyone other than my wife,” he added.

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love is blind season 7 is now streaming in full on Netflix.