Ricki Lake Opens Up About Christian Evans’ Struggles (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Ricki Lake has opened up about her late ex-husband Christian Evans’ death and how his struggles with mental health severely impacted her life.
At End Well’s annual symposium on November 22, Lake recalled trying to “save” Evans, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, from his “psychotic breaks” before he took his own life in 2017.
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Ricki Lake Wasn’t Aware of Bipolar Disorder at First
The former talk show host claimed that she knew Evans was in a lot of pain due to depression even though she “didn’t understand what bipolar disorder meant at first.”
The 56-year-old added, “We were together four years before he had his first psychotic break. It was almost more shocking seeing him turn into another person than his ultimate death.”
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Lake stated it became very challenging for her when she went to great lengths to save Evans’ life. “I did everything I could to bring him to the doctor to get him help, and it was challenging,” she noted. “He had his second psychotic break two years after the first and ultimately took his life in [February] of 2017.”
Ricki Lake Opened Up on How She Met Christian Evans
Lake also spoke about how Evans helped her overcome the fear of getting judged.
“We met during a medical journey,” she continued, per People. “Ayahuasca, to be fully transparent,” Lake added that before meeting Evans, she was vehemently opposed to mind-altering substances.
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“I was such a Nancy Reagan disciple when I did my talk show. I was like, ‘Just say no!’ to everything. Ew, there was judgment and fear. I was so closed-minded. And Christian, he cracked me open. Like, me, doing ayahuasca in northern California? What? Are you kidding?” she continued.
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Ricki Lake and Christian Evans First Started Dating in 2010
The ‘Hairspray’ actress disclosed that she met Evans through a mutual friend before they started seeing each other in 2010. “He was super magical, and he was madly in love with me, and I with him,” she said of their love affair.
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Just one year later, in August 2011, the duo got engaged and eloped in 2012. They stayed close until Evans’ passing, even though both parted ways in 2014.
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Lake expressed she failed Evans for failing to “save” him. “I’m a manifester; I get s–t done,” she said. “And when it came to fixing him, I couldn’t fix him, I couldn’t save him.”
The actress has since been married to Ross Burningham but continues to honor Evans’ memory by speaking about her late partner.
“What I can say is through loving and losing him, I’m the best version of myself because of how he loved me,” she said. “I feel like I’ve learned so many lessons about I love, and how we’re still connected and that they’re not gone.”
Lake added, “But he had to leave for me to have this beautiful, abundant life I appreciate daily. I wake up in gratitude and appreciate this life I had with and now without him.”
