Fiancé of Late Fitness Influencer Stephanie Buttermore Candidly Details Grappling with 'Bad' Depression Following Her Death

Tabitha ParentWed, May 27, 2026 at 3:33 PM UTC

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Stephanie Buttermore and fiancé Jeff Nippard weeks before her death at age 36.
Credit: Jeff Nippard/Instagram -

Jeff Nippard, the fiancé of the late fitness influencer Stephanie Buttermore, is sharing an update on his mental health, nearly three months after her death

In a May 24 Instagram post, Nippard opened up about how he has been managing since the death of his fiancée

"My depression has been bad, so my strength is down a lot and for the first time I can remember, I have no real desire to workout," Nippard wrote in the caption of the post

Jeff Nippard is sharing an update on his healing journey, following the death of his fiancée, fitness influencer Stephanie Buttermore, in March.In a May 24 Instagram post, Nippard shared photos and videos of himself working out and lifting weights, captioning the carousel with a reflection on his mental health.In the post, Nippard shared that he had been staying in a friend's basement for the last few weeks and had been using his friend's minimal workout equipment to stay busy. "A part of me likes having a minimal set up like this because the constraints force me to get creative," he shared, before launching into a reflection on his experience with grief and depression over the last few months.On March 6, the content creator and bodybuilder's team announced in a statement shared to Instagram that Buttermore had died at 36. Information on her cause of death has yet to be released. “It is with profound sorrow that we share the sudden passing of Jeff's fiancée and partner of ten years, Stephanie,” the post read. “As many of you know, Stephanie meant the world to Jeff.”

Stephanie Buttermore and her fiancé Jeff Nippard.
Credit: Jeff Nippard/Instagram

"Working out during grief has been one of those things that I really don't want to do but I'm glad I did once it's done," continued Nippard in the May 24 post, who has nearly four million followers on Instagram for his own fitness content."My depression has been bad, so my strength is down a lot and for the first time I can remember, I have no real desire to workout. That said, I do find that if I just say to myself, 'go in and lift the empty bar up and down 10 times, that's better than nothing' … at least I get moving. After that, if I still want to stop, I will. If it feels fine, I'll keep going. I usually end up finishing the workout anyway because it usually does feel better once it's started."Nippard also told followers that he had taken some time away from social media and his YouTube channel and thanked his fans for their understanding and support during the time.

Jeff Nippard and Stephanie Buttermore.
Credit: Stephanie Buttermore/Instagram

The news of Buttermore's death came just days after she celebrated her 36th birthday on Feb. 25. Prior to her death, Buttermore was also a successful fitness influencer before she decided to quit in May 2024. At the time, she announced how she decided to take a step back for her mental health. She explained that her anxiety had become “crippling,” but after taking a break from social media, her mental health became “the best it's ever been.”

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Buttermore, who had 525K Instagram followers and over 1 million YouTube subscribers, created content for women and their health journeys, consistently promoting body positivity and intuitive eating.  According to her YouTube channel, she was a cancer research scientist who earned a Ph.D. in pathology and cell biology “with a focus on the molecular mechanisms that drive ovarian cancer progression.” Nippard and Buttermore announced their engagement in October 2022. In their engagement announcement, Nippard shared that their relationship began after he sent her a message on social media, and the pair “immediately formed a friendship.” Two months after her death, Nippard broke his silence on his partner's death in an emotional April 28 Instagram post, sharing that he had spent time with Buttermore's family and closest friends to “celebrate her life and share memories with each other” over the past week. “When I think about Stephanie, I keep coming back to how loving and kind she was. She really made the world a better place,” he wrote in his tribute.

In the post, he said that he first fell in love with her after reading her Ph.D. dissertation, which was on a protein called RHAMM, which can help detect ovarian cancer.“On her YouTube channel, she helped people feel less alone, especially when it comes to struggling with food and body image. Her journey helped so many people be more accepting of themselves, and I love her so much for doing that,” he continued in his post. “She always put her family first and she had an especially loving bond with her mom. We built this backyard garden in her honour (purple was her favourite colour) and it means so, so much to me.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”