Ricki Lake Husband: Her Marriage and Love Life

Ricki Lake has spent decades in the public eye, first becoming widely known as an actress and later as the host of her own daytime talk show. While her career has included television, movies, documentaries and reality shows, her personal life has also attracted plenty of interest over the years.

So, who is Ricki Lake’s husband?

Lake has been married twice in the past and later became engaged to Ross Burningham, whom she described as her person. Her relationship history includes marriages to Rob Sussman and Christian Evans, as well as a highly publicized period of grief following Evans’ death in 2017.

The actress and television personality has experienced both happy and difficult chapters in her love life. Her relationship with Burningham marked a new beginning after years of personal changes and loss.

Is Ricki Lake Married?

The information provided identifies Ross Burningham as Ricki Lake’s fiancé, rather than confirming that they were already married at that point.

Lake announced her engagement to Burningham on social media, sharing an emotional message about how much he meant to her.

Alongside a photo of the couple, she wrote that she was extremely excited to share the news and introduced Burningham as “my person.”

Lake also described him as wonderful and said she was grateful to love and be loved by him.

The engagement represented an important new chapter for Lake after two previous marriages.

Who Is Ricki Lake’s Fiancé Ross Burningham?

Ross Burningham became part of Lake’s life after the pair were introduced through a mutual friend.

According to the details provided, they had been together for more than a year when Lake publicly announced their engagement.

Although Lake kept the relationship relatively private at first, she eventually introduced Burningham to her followers on Instagram in December 2020.

She shared a photograph of the two together with the simple caption “LOVE.”

The post gave her fans their first public glimpse of the relationship and showed that Lake was beginning a new romantic chapter away from some of the difficult experiences she had faced earlier in life.

Ricki Lake’s Birthday Tribute to Ross Burningham

Lake later offered another glimpse into their relationship when she celebrated Burningham’s birthday in February 2021.

Her tribute was filled with affection. She thanked him for bringing her joy, peace and laughter and said she felt lucky to have him in her life.

Lake also thanked him for choosing her and ended the message by telling him that she loved him.

The message reflected the way Lake spoke about their relationship publicly. Rather than focusing on fame or celebrity, she highlighted the happiness and emotional security she felt with Burningham.

That was particularly meaningful given the difficult periods she had experienced in previous relationships.

Ricki Lake’s First Husband Was Rob Sussman

Before Burningham, Lake was married to Rob Sussman.

The couple married in 1994 and remained together for a decade before their marriage ended in 2004.

Their relationship covered a major period in Lake’s career, including the years when she became a familiar face on daytime television.

Lake had launched The Ricki Lake Show in 1993, and the program quickly became an important part of her public identity.

Her marriage to Sussman therefore took place while Lake was balancing family life with an increasingly demanding entertainment career.

The marriage eventually ended, but it was the first of two marriages in Lake’s life.

Ricki Lake Married Christian Evans in 2012

Lake later found love with jewelry designer Christian Evans.

The pair began dating in 2010 and married in 2012.

Lake spoke warmly about Evans and once described herself as feeling extremely fortunate to be with him. She also highlighted his charisma and sense of humor.

Their relationship, however, eventually became complicated by Evans’ bipolar disorder.

Lake later discussed some of the challenges they faced, including episodes of severe mania.

She explained that one of Evans’ manic episodes in 2014 was especially difficult for her to witness. According to Lake, his behavior during the episode was dramatically different from the person she had known during their relationship.

Lake and Evans Divorced in 2015

Lake filed for divorce from Evans, and their divorce was finalized in 2015.

However, the end of their marriage did not mean that Lake stopped caring about him.

The two continued to have a relationship after their divorce, particularly after Evans received treatment.

Lake later explained that she remained in love with him and struggled with the desire to help him.

She also described him as someone who had been misunderstood by many people.

The relationship therefore continued to be emotionally complicated even after their marriage officially ended.

Christian Evans Died in 2017

Evans died by suicide in 2017.

His death had a profound effect on Lake, who later spoke publicly about the relationship, his mental health struggles and the complicated emotions surrounding his death.

Lake had previously described wanting to help him and feeling a strong connection with him despite the difficulties they experienced.

Her decision to discuss the experience publicly also helped provide insight into the realities that families and partners can face when someone they love is living with serious mental health challenges.

Because suicide is a sensitive subject, it is important to avoid reducing Evans’ life or his relationship with Lake to his death. Lake’s own comments made clear that she remembered him as someone she loved and understood, even while acknowledging the painful difficulties they experienced together.

Ricki Lake’s Career Before Her Personal Life Took Center Stage

Lake became famous long before her relationships became a regular subject of public interest.

She rose to prominence as an actress and was especially known for her role in the 1988 film Hairspray.

In 1993, she began hosting The Ricki Lake Show, a daytime talk program that ran until 2004.

The show made Lake one of the most recognizable television personalities of her generation.

She later returned to daytime television with another version of The Ricki Lake Show in 2013, although the revived program lasted for only one season.

Lake continued taking on a variety of projects after the original talk show ended.

Her Work Expanded Beyond Television

Lake’s career has not been limited to acting and daytime television.

She worked on the 2014 documentary The Business of Being Born, which explored childbirth and maternity care.

She also appeared in Sweetening the Pill, a 2015 documentary dealing with hormonal contraception.

Her acting credits continued as well. In 2016, she appeared in Hairspray Live!, returning to the world of the musical that had played an important role in launching her career.

Lake also appeared in reality television programs in later years.

In the United States version of The Masked Singer, she was revealed to be The Raven. She also competed on The X Factor: Celebrity.

Her career has therefore moved through several different forms of entertainment rather than following one fixed path.

Ricki Lake and Her New Chapter With Ross Burningham

Lake’s relationship with Burningham came after years of major personal and professional changes.

When she announced their engagement, her words suggested that she viewed the relationship as something deeply meaningful.

Calling Burningham “my person,” she expressed excitement about their future together and emphasized the love they shared.

For Lake, the engagement was not simply another celebrity relationship announcement. It came after two marriages, divorce and the devastating loss of Evans.

Her public comments about Burningham suggested that she had found a relationship that brought her a renewed sense of happiness and peace.

What Happened to Ricki Lake’s Previous Husbands?

Lake’s first marriage to Rob Sussman lasted from 1994 until 2004.

She then married Christian Evans in 2012 after the couple had been dating for two years. Their divorce was finalized in 2015, although they continued to have a relationship afterward.

Evans died in 2017.

Lake’s relationship with Evans remained an important part of her personal story because of the love they shared and the difficulties connected to his bipolar disorder.

Years later, Lake’s engagement to Burningham showed another side of her personal journey.

Ricki Lake’s Love Life Has Had Several Chapters

Ricki Lake’s relationship history has included marriage, divorce, grief and eventually another engagement.

Her first husband was Rob Sussman, whom she married in 1994. Her second husband was Christian Evans, a jewelry designer whom she married in 2012.

After their divorce, Lake and Evans continued to remain connected. His death in 2017 became one of the most painful events of Lake’s life, and she later spoke openly about their relationship and his struggles with bipolar disorder.

Then came Ross Burningham.

Lake introduced Burningham publicly in 2020 and celebrated their relationship with affectionate social media posts. Their engagement announcement marked a hopeful moment for the actress and television personality.

While much of Lake’s career has played out in front of cameras, her relationships have also shown a more private and vulnerable side of her life.

For fans searching for Ricki Lake’s husband, the answer depends on the point in her relationship timeline being discussed. She was previously married to Rob Sussman and Christian Evans, while Ross Burningham was her fiancé when she announced their engagement.

Her story ultimately goes beyond the question of who she married. It is a story of career changes, relationships, loss, healing and finding happiness again after difficult chapters.