We now know the full cast of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? Season 4.
One of the couples returning for this spin-off is Ashley Martson and Jay Smith.
But we don’t have to wait for the (reported) premiere date of April 28 to see how they’re doing.
We also don’t have to rely upon scraps from Instagram.
Ashley has opened up to In Touch Weekly about her health, her marriage, and the major way that one has impacted the other.
Take a look below and see how their marital dynamic has changed since Ashley’s latest surgery.
Ashley’s battle with lupus is no joke
Just weeks ago, Ashley had a six-day hospitalization for a surgery that she hopes will keep her out of the hospital for a long, long time.
But at least she has Jay
“Jay completely stepped up since surgery,” Ashley tells In Touch.
He’s there for her, in sickness and in health
Ashley reveals: “[He’s been] taking the kids to school, cooking, cleaning.”
It sounds like he waits on her hand and foot
“He makes sure I’m comfortable,” Ashley gushes. Recovering from surgery can make that a real challenge.
He does things so that Ashley does not have to
“And,” Ashley adds, Jay “is always eager to get whatever I need.”
She’s singing his praises
“He has been a saint when it comes to my health,” Ashley reveals. Considering that just last year, she caught him cheating on her right after their wedding, they’ve clearly come a long way.
Jay has a lot of empathy for her
“It isn’t easy for him to see me in pain,” she admits.
He’s been a real balm
“But,” Ashley says. “He just talks me through [it].”
He’s her rock
Jay helps her “[and] stays strong for the both of us,” Ashley praises.
He wants her to get better — sooner rather than later
“I think he is definitely ready for the two months to be up,” Ashley says, referring to a waiting period before she undertake any vigorous activities.
She’s talking about sex, folks
Ashley wants to be able to bone her young husband again soon, she explains, “as intimacy is important in a marriage.”
Ashley has lupus
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the body. It perceives even vital organs as being foreign bodies.
Which can cause organ failure
Earlier this year, Ashley was found unresponsive and at home. She was hospitalized with kidney failure.
Her illness is the real deal
Not only did Ashley have to prove that she has lupus for her GoFundMe, but she proved it to her fans after a recent scandal cast doubt on everything that she and Jay had ever said
See, Ashley and Jay had a fraud scandal
The short version is that fans discovered that Jay had been secretly operating an Instagram account that had been “leaking” his and Ashley’s photos. They had complained about leaks and gotten sympathy for them.
It was an awkward situation
A lot of people felt betrayed or that they had been made a fool of, but Ashley and Jay say that most of the secrecy and fakery was at the instruction of 90 Day Fiance producers.
They quit the show
Ashley and Jay announced that they will no longer film for the 90 Day Fiance franchise.
They have more important things to do
For example, Ashley is a mother. Also, she and Jay are still pretty early in their marriage. They need to spend time together off camera.
However …
90 Day Fiance viewers will still see them again
They had already filmed for Happily Ever After?
The filming is believed to have concluded late last year, which means that we don’t expect to see Ashley’s hospital visits or scandals from this year — unless the producers sent cameras to cover that, too.