Fact-Checking Ricki Lake's Relationship History: Unpacking the Truth Behind Her Three Marriages
By Elena Rostova
Lake remained single for several years after her first divorce, focusing on parenting and her independent production work. In mid-2009, mutual friends introduced her to Christian Evans, a talented jewelry designer. The connection developed quickly. Lake often described Evans as the great romantic love of her adult life, a partner who understood her inner life away from television cameras. They announced their engagement in August 2011.
On April 8, 2012, Lake and Evans married in a discreet ceremony in Southern California. The private ceremony included only a few close friends and family members. Evans chose to keep a low public profile, occasionally accompanying Lake to red-carpet events while she prepared to launch a short-lived revival of her daytime talk show with Twentieth Television.
Behind the scenes, Evans was engaged in a fierce battle with severe bipolar disorder. The cyclical nature of the illness introduced intense volatility into their home life. In an effort to stabilize their lives and protect both parties, Lake filed for divorce in October 2014. Despite initiating the legal separation, the two never truly severed their emotional ties. The divorce was finalized in 2015, but their bond continued, with Lake offering emotional support during his acute depressive episodes.
On February 11, 2017, Christian Evans died by suicide at age 45. Lake announced his death publicly on social media, writing candidly about the agony of bipolar depression. Rather than obscuring the reality of his death behind vague statements, Lake spoke directly about suicide prevention, dual-diagnosis treatments, and the limits of loving someone struggling with deep clinical trauma.
Elena Rostova holds a Master's degree in Public Health Journalism. She covers groundbreaking medical research, holistic wellness trends, mental health awareness, and nutritional science.
