Exclusive! Does Trista Sutter Think Des & Chris Will Marry?
It's 'Trista Tells All' time! YourTango catches up with the original 'Bachelorette.'
There's no denying that Trista Sutter is the poster child for Bachelor happy endings.
As a contestant on the show's very first season, Trista's heart was ultimately broken by Bachelor Alex Michel, but she quickly bounced back by becoming the first ever Bachelorette.
Easy-on-the-eyes Ryan Sutter accepted her final rose, and 10 years of marriage and two children later, the Vail, Colorado couple remains stronger than ever. Trista just penned her first book, Happily Ever After: The Life-Changing Power of a Grateful Heart, due out November 25, plus she'll soon launch a new line of home décor items with the brand Glory Haus.
Even though she's now a busy, working mom, Trista still finds time to watch The Bachelor every Monday night with the rest of us—except now she feels "maternal" toward all the contestants. "I mean, I'm so much older than all of them," she laughs.
YourTango: You and Ryan have been married for 10 years already! What's your secret?
Trista Sutter: There's not one answer. It's a bunch of things combined. We love each other; we like each other; we respect each other and we live in Colorado—we're isolated from the chaos of public life in a way. We have similar values, we love our family and we work hard at it. We're committed to each other and want to make this work.
YourTango: What's the best marriage advice you've received?
Trista Sutter: Last year, one of my closest friend's mom and dad celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and I asked her dad what advice he could give me for lasting as long as they had. He said the top three things were faith, friendship, and forgiveness, and I thought that was perfect. So hopefully, we'll continue to focus on all of the above.
YourTango: Do you think Desiree Hartsock and Chris Siegfried will make it down the aisle?
Trista Sutter: I think she's super grounded. I haven't met him, but they seem super happy. I thought that maybe she was settling for him, because of what happened with Brooks. But I think that a big part of why they've been able to be successful is that he didn't watch the show. Not that they couldn't get past it, because now they have a foundation of living together and everything. I think they've done a great job so far, from what I've seen, and I wish them nothing but happiness
YourTango: What advice can you offer Sean and Catherine about getting married on TV?
Trista Sutter: I think they're doing a pretty good job on their own! I've met them and hung out with them. They have so much fun together, their relationship is about fun, and they're really grounded.
YourTango: So will we see you at their wedding?
Trista Sutter: Maaaybe. I don't know if I can talk about that yet, so I'll just say maybe.
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YourTango: What has motherhood taught you about yourself?
Trista Sutter: That I need to be way more patient; that I am family oriented by heart, and that I love to nurture and be a mom. Obviously, that's kind of essential to what a mom does, but I love to be the caretaker and the nurturer. It's stressful at times, but it's so incredibly rewarding, and I love nothing more than being a wife and mother.
YourTango: Do you plan to have more children?
Trista Sutter: No, we're at a good place. I had a permanent birth control procedure. I'm 41 now. I had bad pregnancies and the deliveries were scary. Our family is complete.
YourTango: What inspired you to write a book?
Trista Sutter: I've always wanted to write a children's book. Now I have kids and we read constantly, so I got connected to a literary agent and she said, 'I think you need to write an adult book first.' I'm not sure the rationale, but I trusted her, and said I don't want someone else to write it and me put my face on it. I want it to be about something I can authentically write about. So I told her about my social media posts about the favorite part of each day and she liked that, so the book is based on different relationships and being grateful in them all. There are stories from my life and Ryan's and our family and friends.
YourTango: Do you plan to write another?
Trista Sutter: It's funny, because Ryan keeps referring to my 'next book' and I keep saying no. I am so proud that I had this in me. It's not an easy process and I'm not a writer by trade, so I don't think I'll do more adult books, but I definitely want to do a children's book. Now that I've done something on gratitude for adults, I'm thinking about a book or even a series on gratitude for children.
YourTango: Favorite season of The Bachelor?
Trista Sutter: I can't pick a favorite season! Seriously, that's like picking your favorite child. I feel very maternal toward everyone on the show. It's a very strange phenomenon, but I'm so much older than all of them. When we were at Ashley and JP's wedding, I felt a sense of pride seeing her walk down the aisle. I had met her more than a year before; I'm not her best friend, but there's something about Bachelor nation that ties us all together. You feel a kinship, and for me, definitely a certain sense of maternal instinct toward all of them.