There was no conversation," said Batula.
Batula expressed that the lack of engagement made her feel valued only as an object rather than a partner.
"I felt, this was not his intention or what he was doing, I felt [used]. I felt like I was just an object at that point," said Batula.
She noted that subsequent personal struggles and social outings further exacerbated marital tensions.
"Then the depression hit also. Then it was an unfortunate storm," said Batula.
Cooke's Perspective and Defense
Cooke responded during the broadcast by giving context regarding their initial months of marriage and clarifying the frequency of their intimacy.
"We went into a funk immediately after our wedding," said Cooke, founder of Loverboy.
He described taking steps to seek professional guidance shortly after they wed.
"I tried for years to get us into couples therapy," said Cooke.
Cooke directly questioned the situation to their castmates while providing further specifics regarding their physical relationship.
"Can you imagine, this is not like a guy-girl thing. We get married and we never have sex," said Cooke.
He clarified that the pair had minimal physical intimacy rather than complete absence.
"We didn't have sex — technically it wasn't four years of nothing. We had, like, sex three times.
I'm just saying," said Cooke.
Addressing criticism regarding his routine, Cooke defended his focus on long-term stability and business growth while managing household planning.
"First I'm a workaholic, now I'm an alcoholic. I could never do anything," said Cooke.
