Because of Philippa and Ry’s 18-year age gap, her parents have tried everything they can to stop them tying the knot – including asking him to sign a pre-nuptial agreement!
But an accident three years ago almost stopped Ry, 21, and Philippa, 39, meeting in the first place.
“It was New Year’s Day in Byron Bay [on the NSW North Coast] and some friends and I went for a swim,” Ry, who is starring in the new season of Bride & Prejudice, explains to TV WEEK.
“I was bodysurfing when I got tumbled and I heard a crack. From my shoulders up, everything went numb.”
Philippa and Ry insist their age-gap is no big deal.
Despite the lifeguards insisting his injuries weren’t serious, Ry knew it was something more sinister.
“I went to hospital and they said, ‘You’ve got a C1 fracture,'” he remembers. [The C1 vertebra is the top one, closest to the skull.]
“They said I was lucky I could even get up and walk. If I’d tumbled around more, I could have cut a nerve and my body would have shut down.”
Recovery was tough, but Ry was determined to beat the odds.
“I wore a halo brace for two months,” he says. “I quit drinking and smoking, I meditated – and Mum performed a sacral [healing ritual] on me.
“After two months, I’d set a record for the quickest recovery from a C1 fracture.”
Ry’s sisters cheer him up in hosptial.
As for his relationship with Philippa, Ry is determined to get past her parents Peter and Gunilla’s doubts about him.
“When they asked me to sign a pre-nup, I was really shocked,” he says. “For me, it’s about love – not finances.
“But it only took me a split second to decide. It wasn’t a problem, because I love Philippa for who she is.”
Ry is just as fond of her two children too.
“It feels like Philippa’s children are like my little brother and sister,” he says. “It’s such a cool relationship.
“But I’m also mature for my age. It’s been easy for me to pick up the responsibility. The whole family gig is really enjoyable.”
Bride & Prejudice airs Monday to Wednesday, 7:30pm, on Channel Seven.
