Ricki Lake recalls efforts to ‘save’ ex-husband Christian Evans from ‘psychotic breakdowns’ before his death

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ricki Lake bravely shared the extensive efforts she made to support her ex-husband, Christian Evans, as he struggled with mental health issues before his heartbreaking 2020 suicide.

The former talk show host spoke candidly about her extensive efforts to support Evans, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, during his “psychotic breaks” before his 2017 suicide.

Ricki Lake shares her painful struggle to help ex-husband Christian Evans

“I didn’t understand what bipolar disorder meant at first,” Ricki Lake said Peoplesharing her experiences with death doula Alua Arthur at the annual End Well Symposium on November 22.

She added: “I know he suffered from depression and was in a lot of pain. We were together for four years before he had his first psychotic break. It was almost more shocking to see him transform into a different person than his eventual death.

“I did my best to save him; I did everything I could to take him to the doctor and get help, but it was really difficult,” the 56-year-old added. “He had a second psychotic break two years after the first and ultimately took his own life in (February) 2017.”

Lake and Evans reportedly began their relationship in 2010 after being introduced to each other by a mutual friend People.

“He was incredibly magical and madly in love with me and I with him,” she said of their relationship, noting that their first encounter was unconventional and included a “medical journey” with ayahuasca.

Ricki Lake recalls efforts to save ex-husband Christian Evans from his death

Ricki Lake and Christian Evans got engaged in August 2011 and broke up a year later. Lake and Evans split in 2014 but remained close until his death. Lake expressed that she felt like a failure because she couldn’t “save” him.

“I am a demonstrator, I can cope,” she said. “And as for fixing him, I couldn’t fix him, I couldn’t save him.”

Lake has remarried Ross Burningham, but is honoring Evans’ memory by continuing to talk about her late partner.

“I can say that in loving him and losing him, I am the best version of myself because of the way he loved me,” she said.

“I feel like I’ve learned so many lessons, so much about what I love, about how we’re still connected and that it hasn’t gone away,” Lake added. “But he had to go so I could have this beautiful, abundant life that I appreciate every day. I wake up with gratitude and am so grateful for the life I had with him and now without him.