'Bachelorette' Alum Ryan Sutter Has Made "Great Progress" in His Health

Believe it or not, there was a time when the Bachelor franchise's process actually worked. Sure, nowadays the success rate might need a boost, but remember the enchanting tale of Trista Rehn, the inaugural star of The Bachelorette? She continues to enjoy a blissful happily-ever-after with her charming winner, Ryan Sutter.

They were married in a televised wedding on ABC in December 2003, and they've been together ever since! However, Trista and Ryan's marriage hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows.

For starters, Ryan has dealt with severe health issues and was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2021. Curious about his current well-being? Trista recently provided an update on Ryan Sutter's health.

During the KIIS-FM's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball event in December 2023, Trista spoke with The Messenger and shared an update about her husband's health two years after his Lyme disease diagnosis.

"He has made great progress," the Bachelorette alum explained. "He's still up and down. Lyme Disease is not an easy diagnosis by any means. He's been hopeful that he would have found better results with the treatments that he's gone through. He's still looking for something to really eradicate it from his body, but he's definitely feeling good."

Trista also confirmed that Ryan has returned to work as a firefighter and continues to be "the best" father to their two adorable kiddos, Maxwell Alston and Blakesley Grace. Ugh, they truly embody #couplegoals and #parentgoals!

Ryan first began experiencing debilitating symptoms of a then-mystery illness in 2020. On the May 25, 2021, episode of his wife's Better Etc. podcast, Ryan disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

After undergoing extensive testing and blood work throughout the entire year, Ryan revealed that doctors discovered that his body is susceptible to taking in mold toxins. As a firefighter, the reality TV personality regularly faces exposure to these toxins, contributing to his health challenges.

"It seems to be that ... my immune system was weakened through exposures to toxins and especially to mold," Ryan explained. "There are other people in the fire academy that probably had the same exposures who aren't dealing with these exposures because their genetics are stronger, they're able to get rid of the toxins easier."

He added, "On top of being exposed to mold, I was also dealing with these long days, with exhaustion, dehydration, all these other things that weaken your immune system. So my immune system was weakened, making it difficult to fight off infections, or ... allowing prior infections that my immune system had been able to sort of suppress and keep down, to resurface."

At the time, Ryan said he was treating his illness through dietary changes instead of taking a "pretty heavy dose" of multiple antibiotics for several weeks. By June 2022, however, he spoke to People about an unconventional treatment regimen he believed was yielding positive results.

This process included infrared sauna therapy — lauded by some for its potential to help detoxify the body — and bee venom therapy, wherein he subjected himself to honeybee stings three times every other day.