‘Teen Mom’ Star Ryan Edwards Was Addicted To Prescription Pills Before Rehab, Ex-Girlfriend Says

“Teen Mom OG” star Ryan Edwards first started taking Oxycodone when they first started to date in 2012, his ex-girlfriend, Dalis Connell, told Radar Online in an exclusive report Tuesday. Edwards in now getting help for his substance abuse issues in rehab.

Connell recalled some of Edwards’ darker days. “One of his friends was on pills and he tried it one night when we first started dating,” she said. “He started taking those while I was in class. I ran track in college and would be gone all day and he was bored.”

Connell dated the embattled MTV reality star for two years. She wasn’t aware of Edwards’ addiction until one of her co-workers told her. “I have never been around drugs use so I didn’t know the symptoms,” she said. “I was working and my co-worker asked if Ryan takes anything. She was like, ‘I went to rehab and he fidgets and scratches and has all the signs of someone using.’ I didn’t believe her.”

READ: ‘Teen Mom OG’ Star Ryan Edwards ‘Doing Well’ In Rehab After Drug Abuse Reveal

While Edwards’ drug habit was a secret to some fans of “Teen Mom OG,” Connell knew about his addiction eight months into their relationship. “It got worse and worse,” she said. “I walked outside and caught him in the middle of a drug deal and he confessed everything.”

Edwards’ stint in rehab isn’t the first time he went to get help. He first tried an outpatient facility in December 2012, but relapsed on pills after one week.

Connell reasoned it was because he didn’t want to go to rehab. “We had to drag him there the first time. He never said he wanted to get better, he just wanted the withdrawals to stop,” she said.

Edwards’ fiancé, Mackenzie Standifer, penned cryptic tweets that essentially confirmed Edwards was addicted to drugs in cryptic tweets she penned last week.

“Here’s a thought… maybe instead of making assumptions and tearing people down, you could spend that time praying for us instead,” she tweeted May 29. “Strong is beautiful.”

Despite the seeming confirmation, Standifer wasn’t ready to come clean about her fiancé’s addiction. “Let them wonder, let them assume, and then let them eat cake,” Standifer told The Ashley last week, before the episode aired. “I don’t feel like I need to defend myself to viewers. When they walk in my shoes or pay my bills, then maybe. But I have absolutely no respect for individuals who choose to put everyone else down.”

READ: Ryan Edwards’ Fiancée Mackenzie Standifer Seemingly Confirms Drug Rumors From 'Teen Mom OG'

Edwards’ “doing well” in treatment, sources told E! Online Monday.

Even though Edwards and Standifer were slated to get married at the end of the year, they reportedly tied the knot in Hamilton County, Tennessee, last month, before he went into rehab. He’s been getting help for two weeks.

As of now, Edwards’ rehab stint won’t be featured on Season 6 of “Teen Mom OG.” Don’t miss the show when it airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on MTV.