Jessica Castro, known for her role on “Married at First Sight,” has spoken out once more in the wake of the tragic passing of her former husband, Ryan de Nino, who was also her co-star on the show.
Castro responded to a follower’s inquiry on Instagram concerning her apparent silence about de Nino’s death. “Yes, unfortunately, it’s true. I heard the news yesterday,” she confirmed in a comment.
Expressing her feelings further, the reality TV personality elaborated, “It was never my place to say anything, even though I knew before it went public. I’m honoring his family’s need for respect and privacy.”
On Saturday, Castro took to Instagram Stories to reshare a screenshot of the dialogue she had regarding the news.
The first report of de Nino’s passing was published by TMZ on Friday. According to a family insider, de Nino died “suddenly” in New Jersey earlier in the week. He was 40 years old.
Castro exclusively told Page Six on Friday evening she had “not had contact with Ryan in years so I have/had no idea what his life entailed.”
“However, I do send my sincerest condolences to his family during this very difficult time,” she went on. “I can not imagine what they are going through. May he rest peacefully.”
Also on Friday, de Nino’s sister, Melissa de Nino, remembered her brother with a heartfelt social media tribute on Facebook.
“He was fiercely loyal to those he loved,” she wrote alongside photos from their childhood. “He had a huge heart, always. I can’t explain what it’s like to lose a sibling.”
“Someone who’s been there from the beginning and shares the same memories.”
Melissa concluded, “No matter what we were going through, I loved him immensely. Life as I know it will never be the same.”
Castro and de Nino met and married on Season 2 of the reality series, opting to stay together even after their six-week trial period.
Following the end of the season, however, the former couple called it quits in 2015, with things escalating after Castro filed for a restraining order against de Nino — who subsequently shared a cropped image of the order, writing that he was “in awe” and “disgusted.”
The New York Post reported at the time that Castro claimed in court filings that de Nino allegedly made death threats against her and her family.
Per a petition, Castro alleged he said he would “break [her] into f–king pieces.”
“I will break your dad into pieces,” the alleged threat went on. “I will make your whole family disappear — and your f–king dog-ass sister’s boyfriend.”
Castro also alleged that at the “Married at First Sight” reunion taping, de Nino was caught on a hot mic uttering, “She’s f–king dead. When I get back to Brooklyn, she’s f–king dead, this girl.”
At the time, Castro’s lawyer told ABC News that their priority was to protect her from “all threats to her safety and well-being.”
“We don’t know all the details and can’t comment on the specifics,” the series’ producer, Kinetic Content, told The Post back in 2015.
“What we can say is that unfortunately, couples on the show can go through real divorces, and divorce can often be difficult.”
They added, “We wish them nothing but the best, and hope they have a bright future ahead of them.”