Trista and Ryan Sutter on Their Marriage Post-'Bachelorette' and Advice for Nick Viall

— -- Trista and Ryan Sutter, the couple that found love on the first season of "The Bachelorette," opened up to "Good Morning America" about how they beat the reality TV odds to build a real-life love story together.

"Simon Cowell sat on a couch with me, and he's like, 'I give it two weeks,'" Trista recalled.

After Trista accepted Ryan's proposal in 2003, the couple moved to a small town outside Vail, Colorado. "GMA" recently visited the couple and their two children, Maxwell, 9, and Blakesley, 7.

"It's an awesome place to raise kids," Ryan said.

Trista, now an author, has said her marital success boils down to three things: resilience, gratitude and forgiveness.

"I think forgiveness is a big one because no one's perfect and neither of us are perfect," she told "GMA."

And Ryan, who is a professional firefighter and recently started a blog, continues to be the romantic that he was on the show.

"He wrote me a sweet card, you know just out of the blue," Trista said.

Ryan revealed that he still has the final rose given to him by Trista.

"He does," Trista said, "in the closet upstairs."

Corrine Is 'Just a Distraction'

Watching the current bachelor, Nick Viall, this season and the drama that's unfolding, the couple had some words of wisdom for Viall about one of the more controversial contestants, Corrine Broll.

"I actually love that they've added [Corrine] to the mix because it's really fun to watch," Ryan said. "But eventually it has to get, like, serious if he wants it to get serious. And she's gotta go because she's just a distraction."