A week on from announcing their separation, Seven Year Switch star Cassie Thistleton says “things are going as well as can be expected” between her and her now ex-partner, Ryan.
“He’s here at our house every second day to see the girls. He does dinners and baths and hangs out; he’s very active still,” Cassis says. “If anything, this is positive.”
Quietly making the decision to separate almost two months ago, Cassie and Ryan became known around the country after appearing on the premiere season of Channel Seven's reality relationship show. There, they talked about the struggles of their relationship; the unimaginable hardships of losing their son, Dex, who was stillborn; Cassie's desires to move forward in their relationship, and Ryan's mental health battles.
Then, months after the show had wrapped and the reunion episode revealed the couple had stayed together, they welcomed their third child - a daughter, Mena Lee - together. From the outside, things seemed rosy.
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"We had gone so well after the show ended. We were going forward, we had gone to our marriage counselling sessions, everything was wonderful," Cassie told Mamamia on Tuesday.
But ultimately, she says, cracks returned and eventually turned into a break.
"The decision didn't come down to a particular moment, but I just wanted to keep going. I wanted to move forward. I wanted to focus on my career again, I wanted my children to be happy and to see their parents are happy," Cassie said, adding, "I love him to death, he's my best friend, but I need to look after myself for a little bit."