Love Is Blind’s Ashley Breaks Silence on Her Divorce from Tyler (Exclusive) ArticlePure

Love Is Blind’s Ashley Adionser is pulling back the curtain on the demise of her marriage to ex Tyler Francis.

In PEOPLE’s exclusive first look at Ashley’s appearance on the What’s the Reality podcast, the Netflix star, 32, details how her relationship with Tyler came to an end after their marriage was rocked by his paternity scandal.

“I was looking at this man like who are you?” she recalls to host Amber Desiree “AD” Smith. “It was so dark, it was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my actual life.”

The reality star explains the scandal came as a surprise to her after the pair met filming on a dating show. She shares, “As you know, anything that you say in the pods, and anything that you say while filming is law. It is vital that you stick to it.”

“I even go back and forth on my head if he ever loved me,” she admits. “They don’t think the love is real from Love Is Blind, but it is! It was for me!”

Ashley adds that she never saw the relationship ending this way, explaining, “This was someone I made vows with. My faith is important to me, we said this before God. I had to see it through. I never wanted to get divorced.”

She then breaks down in tears and confesses, “Tyler has taken enough from me, he cannot take that as well.”

Tyler did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Ashley announced her split from Tyler two months after he addressed the status of his relationship with his biological children during an appearance on the Dear Future Wifey podcast. It was revealed on the season 7 of Love Is Blind that he was not involved in their lives, but photos later surfaced of them spending Christmas together.

Tyler maintained during that interview that he was a “sperm donor” and not a father figure; however, Bri Thomas, the mother of his children, later came forward in a series of videos on her Instagram Stories, alleging that Tyler still owed child support and was an absentee father after going on the Netflix show.

“I wasn’t active so it’s hard for people to say, ‘He was active, there are pictures, there are videos,’” he shared. “It’s very few and far in between. If I create a montage of all the things that I’ve done in my life playing basketball, I can make it look like I’m a professional basketball player, absolutely, but to take these pictures over the past five, six years, you can make it look like I’m very active, and they’re doing that.”

At the time, he expressed regret for not revealing the information in the Love Is Blind pods. However, in the scene where he claimed the kids didn’t know what he looked like was not their actual discussion, as he disclosed during the show’s reunion.

“I do just wish I told Ashley upfront and let her make that decision,” he admitted. “She’s happy. I’m not holding her down. I don’t have her handcuffed. She’s a very strong, intelligent woman who makes great decisions her entire life.”

“That [on-camera answer] was me trying to avoid,” he continued. “And then as I said it to avoid, I realized we were filming, so that night, as soon as cameras stopped, I was like ‘Okay.’ We had conversations off camera.”

Ashley seemingly alluded to the scandal when announcing that she and Tyler were going their separate ways after meeting on season 7 of the Netflix hit, which aired in October 2024.

“After much reflection, I want to share that Tyler and I have been separated for several weeks and have now made the difficult decision to end our marriage,” Ashley told PEOPLE in a statement. “While I had hoped for mutual understanding and transparency in our relationship, it has become clear that our paths are no longer aligned, making it impossible for me to continue in this marriage.”

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“This was not a decision I made lightly, but one I know is necessary for my own growth and peace,” she added. “While this chapter is ending, I will always hold respect for the time and love we shared. I kindly ask for privacy during this deeply personal time as I focus on healing and building a new future. Thank you for your understanding and support.”

Shortly after her announcement, Tyler broke his silence about the breakup in a statement on his Instagram Story, sharing in part, “While our journey together began with so much hope and love, we came to realize that there were challenges we could not overcome. I take full accountability for my role in the difficulties we faced, and I respect Ashley’s decision to move forward in a way that prioritizes her peace and happiness.”