Trista Sutter Reveals Why She Was Apart from Her Family This Year: Not a ‘Divorce, Nervous Breakdown, Mid-Life Crisis'

Trista Sutter says there was a good reason why she kept apart from her family earlier this year — and it was all due to a TV show.

The Bachelorette alum, 51, revealed in an Instagram post on Friday, Nov. 15 that she had been working on the third season of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test in May — around the same time her husband, Ryan Sutter, shared social media posts that sparked concerns about their relationship.

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

“Thankfully, none of those things are associated with my experience in filming the show, but as you get a glimpse of in the trailer, the angel on my shoulder did have to face some pretty big battles,” she continued. “You’ll have to tune in in January to see the battles play out, but for now, just 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 social media posts in May that led followers to suspect that she had died or that the couple hit a bump in their marriage.

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

He added at the time, “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.”

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Trista also addressed the incident on Instagram around the same time, sharing some family photos with the couple's two kids — son Maxwell and daughter Blakesley — joking, "Geez people. Can’t a girl have a nervous breakdown/trial separation/midlife crisis/death/divorce in peace around here?! 😜🤣."

"In all seriousness, for those concerned, I’m safe and sound, happy and healthy, in love and grateful. 🥰," she continued, explaining that she’d been given “an opportunity for perspective and personal growth” that she took “with the unconditional support of my family and friend.”

Trista also defended Ryan, writing that he "doesn’t owe anyone any explanation or require 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 in due time.”

Ahead of the announcement of Trista’s involvement with the show, Ryan explained on The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever with Chris Harrison that he had planned to share the social media posts for his wife to look at later and see “here's what happened while you were gone.”

However, he admitted “it just blew up in my face and backfired," though he added that it “felt good to know people still cared, and worried and wondered” about him and his wife 21 years after their Bachelorette appearance.

“It felt good to be noticed and inspired me to do better at paying attention to others, when they do good or when they need help,” Ryan explained. “In the end, like most things, everything turned out ok.”

Special Forces: World's Toughest Test season 3 premieres with a two-hour episode on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.