Blind

This article contains spoilers for the Season 9 finale of “Love Is Blind.”

Netflix’s hit dating series “Love is Blind” is actually an experiment, its creator, Chris Coelen, says. The show tests whether couples can build a lasting relationship based on a core emotional bond that is not tethered to physical attraction or appearances.

In Season 9, for the first time in the show’s history, the experiment failed to create lasting bonds. No couples from this season said “I do” at the altar in the finale, which began streaming Wednesday.

Six couples left the pods engaged, but the decoupling began almost immediately, with Kacie McIntosh breaking things off with Patrick Suzuki. They were followed by Annie Lancaster and Nick Amato, and finally Madison Maidenberg and Joe Ferrucci, whose breakups were documented in Episodes 10 and 11. The remaining couples going into the final episode, where the weddings would take place, were Ali Lima and Anton Yarosh; Kalybriah Haskin and Edmond Harvey; and Megan Walerius and Jordan Keltner.

Megan and Jordan didn’t make it to the altar — Megan broke things off just before the wedding because she felt their lifestyles would not mesh well long term. That partly had to do with their jobs. Jordan works long hours in transportation and logistics, while Megan is a wealthy entrepreneur with a flexible working schedule. Jordan is also a single father to a young son, who has Type 1 diabetes. Over the course of the season, the pair often discussed the demands of parenting.

Anton said “I do,” but Ali said “I can’t be your wife” at the altar. She said she felt like the man she had fallen in love with in the pods was not the person she’d been experiencing in real life before she ran off in tears. Anton said in an interview later that he had “done nothing but care for her,” and that the rejection “f— sucks.”

Kalybriah also said no at the altar after her fiancé said yes. Kalybriah said Edmond “deserve[s] someone that is 100% at the altar” and that she wasn’t there. Edmond had a tempered reaction to the rejection, and Kalybriah thanked him for being graceful before the two walked off hand in hand. Kalybriah left the door open for a possible reconciliation down the road.

Season 9 was full of messy breakups and controversial comments from the participants. Patrick went into the experiment with insecurities about his Asian American identity, and his short-lived fiancée, Kacie, broke up with him on the heels of their first meeting. Annie and Nick, who split before the wedding preparations were in full swing, received backlash over a conversation they had about raising LGBTQ+ children, and they have both since walked back those comments in recent interviews. And an argument between Kalybriah and Edmond about her decision to wait until the wedding to have sex with him was the subject of intense scrutiny on social media.

Before Season 9, each season ended with at least one couple getting married. While some later split, many still remain married and several have started families. Days before Season 9’s finale was released, Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed-Hamilton from Season 1 announced Monday that they welcomed their first child together.

The Season 9 reunion, which will address unanswered questions about the many breakups, will be available to stream on Netflix on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET.

Mahmoud Abu Foul heard his mother’s voice after eight months in Israeli detention, but could not see her face.

A 28-year-old from northern Gaza, Abu Foul was arrested from Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya in late December and imprisoned in Israeli detention facilities, where he says guards tortured and beat him so severely that he lost his sight.

He was released this week as part of a United States-brokered ceasefire deal that has seen nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees let out from Israeli jails, many bearing visible signs of abuse.

Abu Foul, who had already lost his leg in a 2015 Israeli bombing, told Al Jazeera he endured relentless torture during his imprisonment. At Sde Teiman prison, a facility other detainees describe as “the prison that breaks men”, Abu Foul endured repeated beatings and torture.

One day, guards struck him on the head with such force that he fell unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he discovered he had lost his sight, he said.

“I kept asking for medical treatment, but they only gave me one type of eye drops, which did nothing,” he said. “My eyes kept tearing constantly, with discharge and pain, but no one cared.”

He tried a hunger strike to demand treatment but said prison authorities did not respond to his demands.

When Abu Foul was finally released and transferred to Nasser Hospital, he waited anxiously for his family. He had heard northern Gaza was devastated and feared the worst. Then his mother arrived.

“When I heard her voice, I hugged her tightly,” he said. “I couldn’t see her, but just hearing her was worth the whole world.”

Abu Foul now lives in a tent near ruins, still without treatment for his eyes, and is seeking help to travel abroad for medical care.

His account aligns with a growing body of evidence documenting systematic abuse in Israeli prisons. Many of the Palestinians released this week emerged emaciated or with visible injuries. One prisoner had lost nearly half his body weight during detention.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights documented testimonies from 100 former detainees held between October 2023 and 2024, finding that torture was systematic across all Israeli prison facilities, not just notorious sites like Sde Teiman.

All were held incommunicado without access to judges, lawyers or family members.

Israel has returned at least 100 bodies of Palestinians who died in detention. Medical sources told Al Jazeera they found evidence of abuse on some of the corpses, and some indicated possible executions.

“They did not die naturally, they were executed while restrained,” said Dr Munir al-Bursh, director-general of Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The United Nations estimates that at least 75 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons since October 2023.

Israeli rights group B’Tselem described the prison system last year as a “network of torture camps” where detainees face systematic physical abuse, are denied food and medical care, and suffer sexual violence.

Despite hundreds of reported abuse cases since October 2023, Israeli authorities have brought indictments in only two incidents, with no prison service personnel charged, according to the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), an Israeli rights group documenting torture.

Dr Ruchama Marton, founder of Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, says her decades-long campaign exposed the use of torture in Israel but has failed to stop it. “Maybe people didn’t deny it any more, but in practice it became normalized,” she told Haaretz.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the prison service, has defended the harsh treatment of Palestinian prisoners and said “summer camps and patience for the terrorists are over”.

Ben-Gvir has also been filmed taunting high-profile Palestinian political leader and detainee Marwan Barghouti.

Earlier this week, Barghouti’s son said he fears for his father’s life in Israeli prison amid reports from witnesses that he was beaten by guards last month.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Thursday, Arab Barghouti accused Israel of targeting his father because he is a unifying figure among Palestinians.

The family told media outlets this week that they had received testimonies from Palestinian detainees released as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal that Barghouti was beaten by guards in mid-September as he was being transferred between two Israeli prisons.

About 9,000 Palestinian prisoners remain in Israeli jails, many without trial or any proper legal process. Israel has denied allegations of systematic abuse but has not provided evidence to counter the claims.

The Israeli military and prison service did not respond to requests for comment.

Apparently, love is blind to a healthy work environment. That’s what’s alleged in a new class-action lawsuit filed this week.

Stephen Richardson, a contestant on Season 7 of the Netflix dating show “Love Is Blind,” is suing the streaming service and the production companies behind the series, alleging they failed to pay overtime and minimum wages and didn’t provide accurate and itemized wage statements and uninterrupted meal periods. The class action was filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Richardson alleges in the lawsuit that producers wrongly classified him and the rest of the cast, who he says regularly worked 20-hour shifts, in order to pay them less. The lawsuit lists Kinetic Content, Delirium TV and Netflix as defendants.

Producers exerted “complete domination over [participants’] time, schedule, and their ability to eat, drink, and sleep, and communicate with the outside world during the period of employment” and further restricted participants’ actions after the show wrapped, the complaint says. The conditions were “unsafe and inhumane,” the lawsuit says.

“Love Is Blind” follows a group of single men and women searching for love the old-fashioned way, by communicating blindly through a wall. Couples are kept from each other until they establish an engagement, which pays off with unexpected facial reactions that express emotions including great dissatisfaction, confusion or a sigh of relief.

In recent years, the show has been hit with similar lawsuits from other former cast members. Last year, Season 5 participant Renee Poche and Season 2 veteran Nick Thompson filed a lawsuit against the production companies after she was penalized for breaching her contract by publicly discussing her experience on the show.

“I am now being sued for $4 million despite earning $8,000 for my participation on the show,” Poche told USA Today.

Poche alleged the production companies were retaliating against her for speaking about the working conditions she endured. After feeling “like a prisoner” while working on the show, she says, she was cut from the final version of the series.

Season 2 cast member Jeremy Hartwell sued Kinetic Content and Netflix in 2022 for allegedly violating labor laws and creating an “unsafe and inhumane” work environment. Then a number of unnamed former cast members spoke to Insider in April 2023, alleging producers subjected them to 20-hour production days, rarely allowed them to go outside, failed to provide adequate food and mental-health services and ignored their pleas for help.

Throughout the years, reality TV has tried to protect itself from real-life lawyers with nondisclosure agreements and provisions requiring disputes be taken to arbitration. The new complaint has Richardson as the named defendant along with “all others similarly situated.”

The accuser is looking for unspecified damages. Richardson, Netflix, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV did not immediately respond Wednesday to The Times’ request for comment.

BLOKES taking sex pills including Viagra have complained of side effects including going deaf, blind and bald.

More than 900 people reported experiencing problems they believed were linked to the medications between 2000 and 2024.

Among them, six men reckoned Viagra-style pills caused them to lose their hearing — just like Hugh Hefner.

The Playboy boss claimed he went deaf from using too much Viagra before he died aged 91 in 2017.

There were also 41 sight problems reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, including two claims of blindness and another two of blurred vision.

Four men said they suffered cyanopsia — where everything appears to be covered in a blue sheen.

Another user linked the blue pills to getting the hair-loss condition alopecia.

Four people said they caused changes in their sweat glands and six said they caused rashes.

There were 926 reports of side-effects to the MHRA, with three fellas reporting they suffered priapism — a condition that leaves men standing to attention for four or more hours — while two reported suffering fractured manhoods.

One man said his lips started to swell, another complained of a swollen tongue.

Other reports included dizziness, confusion, anxiety and flatulence.

Reports of suspected side effects are recorded under the MHRA’s yellow card scheme which allows health professionals to monitor any potential dangers.

The watchdog logs cases but says not all were definitely caused by the drugs.

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The reunion special of Love is Blind UK has arrived on Netflix – however, it proved to be an emotional one for co-host Emma Willis with the star forced to pause filming

Love is Blind UK’s Emma Willis burst into tears during the Netflix show’s emotional reunion special and was forced to take a break after the episode took an emotional turn. The second series of the dating competition came to an end this week, with the couples reuniting for a highly-anticipated special.

While the final episode of Love is Blind UK saw three couples say ‘I do’ at their wedding ceremony, the reunion revealed that only Kieran and Megan were still together. Kal and Sarover admitted that they separated back in January after Kal decided that they were no longer compatible.

Meanwhile, Billy and Ashleigh divorced in January due to personal differences. Despite the split, Ashleigh said at the reunion that she still has “faith in love” just not from Billy. It comes after Love Is Blind UK series two reunion biggest spats ‘exposed’ as cast members reunite.

READ MORE: Love Is Blind UK star hits out after marriage ended in three months ‘I was in the darkest place’

READ MORE: Will there be a Love Is Blind UK season 3 as Netflix favourite comes to an end?

“I have faith in love from this experiment and being brave every single day of that experiment,” she said. “And exposing myself in every possible way because I wanted this to work.

“And I wanted to find true love and someone who would make me feel safe every single day. I want someone with a backbone. Someone who loves me for me and all of me 365 days of the year until we pass.

“I want that love story and I deserve that love story and I love myself for that. And love me unconditionally every single day and not give up within three months because I have a role which is very similar to yours, where I travel at times.”

Ashleigh’s speech left Emma in tears, with the presenter saying: “I know, I know this is really hard. But thank you both so much for being here, for being honest and I do hope you both find genuine love until the day you die.”

She added: “Oh, you got me you two did,” while husband and co-host Matt Willis comforted her. “Shall we take another break?” he asked, before Emma decided that it would be best if they paused filming.

During the reunion, Sarover opened up about her break-up from Kal, saying that she “never saw the end coming”. Kal repeatedly said: “I just don’t think I’m compatible in a long-term relationship, and it took me to meet on paper the perfect woman to realize that.”

However, Sarover hit back and criticised him for going through a “legal commitment” she didn’t think he ever should have made if he had doubts about their future.

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EXCLUSIVE: Love Is Blind UK favourite Ashleigh has revealed when her relationship with Billy ended as things got ‘icy’ after their wedding day.

*Warning – this article contains spoilers for Love Is Blind UK season 2.*

Season 2 of Love Is Blind UK may be over, but last night’s reunion episode demonstrated that plenty of drama has taken place since the cameras stopped rolling.

In the second season of the Netflix series, we saw three pairs tie the knot: Kieran and Megan, Kal and Sarover and Billy and Ashleigh.

However, it seems the latter two couples have since called it quits not long after the show finished filming.

It comes after fans were concerned that Billy would turn Ashleigh down at the altar, after previously expressing concerns about their different work schedules would impact the relationship.

In an exclusive interview, Cabin Crew Manager Ashleigh opened up about the breakdown of her marriage to Billy, admitting they now ‘don’t speak much’.

She revealed that their relationship had ended “within a day” of fellow ex-couple Sarover and Kal, who also tied the knot on the show but split soon after.

Speaking about their difficult break-up, Ashleigh explained: “There was a follow-up conversation two weeks later.

“But yeah, we left the experiment; he said ‘yes’ to me and I was like, ‘This is all I needed. Billy has reassured me with that yes that this is going to work.

“‘He’s getting married for the second time, this is the real deal,’” she added.

“But unfortunately it wasn’t the real deal and he walked away with no fight. It was three months where I felt I was problem solving and looking to the future and he was just walking away from me.

“And I think, when you fall in love with someone, you grow to love them even more when the cameras are away and it’s just us now,” she reflected.

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“But I felt he was more and more cold towards me and icy and my friends and family saw that side of Billy.

“And he walked away with no fight in January and we haven’t really spoken much since,” she admitted, as Sarover also confirmed that she and Kal “don’t speak either”.

Sarover had a similar perspective on her relationship with Kal, saying: “We tried to make it work, I was in love with him and he just ended it and I was blindsided.

“That was it, there was no conversation to be had, he just walked away.”

Meanwhile, Jed and Bardha have also called it quits after Bardha said ‘no’ to Jed at the altar, and Katisha and Javen have also parted ways following her decision to leave the process early.

Nonetheless, one happy marriage has come out of the experiment, as Kieran and Megan have confirmed it is still “all plain sailing” for their relationship.

Love Is Blind UK season 2 is available to stream now, exclusively on Netflix.

EXCLUSIVE: Four members of the Love Is Blind UK season 2 cast have opened up about the ‘trauma’ of reliving their wedding days.

*Warning – this article contains spoilers for Love Is Blind UK season 2.*

Season 2 of Love Is Blind UK has now come to an end, with the explosive reunion episode on Sunday night revealing which marriages have lasted months on from when the cameras stopped rolling.

In the Netflix show’s season 2 finale, we saw three couples tie the knot: Kieran and Megan, Billy and Ashleigh and Kal and Sarover.

Meanwhile, Bardha made the difficult decision to turn down Jed at the altar, and Katisha chose to walk away from her relationship with Javen ahead of their wedding day.

In the reunion, it was revealed that just one couple – Kieran and Megan – have stayed together, while the other two pairs called it quits months after filming had wrapped.

In an exclusive interview, four stars from Love Is Blind UK season 2 sat down to speak about their experience on the Netflix show, including the emotional ordeal of watching their wedding episodes back after their relationships had ended.

Admitting it felt like they were ‘living double the trauma’, Ashleigh began: Can we just talk about when we watched the weddings together? Because that was like…”

“That was horrible,” Katisha confirmed, as Ashleigh continued: “We were all curled up on one bed sobbing. Fetal [position], intertwined, all four of us just sobbing.”

Bardha then expanded: “It was really hard to watch, I think. And we didn’t realise how we were going to react.”

However, she went on to highlight the bond they had formed with one another, adding: “It was just so nice to have each other and support each other through that. Like, I don’t think I could have watched that alone.”

“We cried for each other,” Sarover reflected sadly, adding that they were “holding each other so tight”.

Looking back at their time on the show, Ashleigh elaborated: “This is real lives, this is real human beings.

Watch Love is Blind UK on Netflix for free with Sky

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“We really got married, we really went through break ups and it’s been difficult, you know, with comments as well.

“You have to cancel that outside noise because we’ve been on a journey for a year where we’ve not been able to talk about it. So, we’re actually living double the trauma now.”

Sarover concluded: “It’s really bittersweet to watch it back because I really feel like we were all so in love during the filming and it’s bittersweet memories because of what happens later. It’s a tough watch.”

Meanwhile, Kieran and Megan were all smiles as they confirmed their marriage was still “all smooth sailing”.

They are the third lasting marriage to come out of Love Is Blind UK, as season 1 also saw Nicole and Benaiah and Bobby and Jasmine tie the knot, while former married pair Steven and Sabrina have also sadly parted ways.

Love Is Blind UK season 2 is available to stream now, exclusively on Netflix.

Netflix have finally dropped the highly anticipated Love Is Blind UK season 2 reunion trailer – and fans believe they’ve ‘worked out’ which couples are still together

There’s only two days to wait until the Love Is Blind UK season 2 reunion – in which fans will find out which couples are still together after their big day. However, some fans think they’ve already worked it out from a huge ‘giveaway’ in the trailer.

Earlier this week, Netflix released the final two episodes of the show which saw all four couples walk down the altar. However, only three out of four had a happy ending.

Sarover and Kal, Kieran and Megan and Ashleigh and Billy all said ‘I do’, although Bardha revealed it was too soon to tie the knot with Jed – although hoped they could still remain together. From the explosive trailer however, it doesn’t look like that was the case…

READ MORE: All the Love Is Blind couples that are still together – as Netflix drops shock UK finaleREAD MORE: Love Is Blind UK season 2 reunion trailer and release time as photobooth ‘truth’ uncovered

A snippet of the reunion, hosted by Matt and Emma Willis shows Bardha in tears, as she exclaims: “I wish you all the best, far away from me.” Fans are certain she’s talking to her former fiancé Jed – as they suspect they called the relationship quits after the wedding day.

Elsewhere, one eagle eyed fan noticed that Kieran and Megan had their wedding rings on – suspecting they’re still married to one another.

“Kieran and Meg both have their rings on. Yes, I froze the frame, snapped the pic and zoomed in,” one wrote, while another said: “From the trailer you can already see that Kieran and Megan are still together and that’s all that matters.”

It’s not the only huge clue the couple have dropped, with many realising that they’d been to the same places over the last year from their similar Instagram posts.

Not only that, fans noticed that the couple have the same background when posting in their houses – seemingly ‘confirming’ that they’re still married after the show.

However, one of the biggest clues fans believe they noticed from the trailer was the telling seating plan. In previous seasons – fans noticed that those who are still together are placed next to each other.

From this, fans think they’ve worked out which couples are still together – and who isn’t.

“Meg and Kieran are sitting next to each other and matching,” one penned, while another said: “And Kal and Sarover!”

Of course, the only way to find out is by watching the reunion in full when it’s released on Netflix this Sunday, August 31 at 9pm BST.

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The second season of Love Is Blind’s UK season came to a dramatic end today – and fan favourite couple Kieran and Megan have ‘convinced’ fans their love is still going strong

Netflix fans have been hooked on the second season of Love Is Blind UK, which came to a dramatic end today.

It was no surprise that Kieran and Megan said ‘I do’ at the altar– and although they’re sworn to secrecy on what happened after until the reunion, they’ve dropped some major hints that they’re still in love.

Megan and Kieran connected from the moment they met in the Netflix pods, although Kieran also struck up a connection with Sophie. It came crashing down pretty quickly, however, when she realised Kieran had given Megan a cute gift – whereas she was left empty-handed.

READ MORE: All the Love Is Blind couples that are still together – as Netflix drops shock UK finaleREAD MORE: Netflix fans in tears as final Love Is Blind UK series two episodes finally air

A distraught Sophie quit the process, and Megan and Kieran went on to get engaged, and later married, in today’s epic finale. It looks like their love story has continued to blossom, as they’ve dropped major clues they’re still together over on Instagram.

Fans witnessed a fairy tale wedding between the two, with Kieran breaking down in tears when he laid eyes on his bride. ” I still can’t quite believe how perfect you are for me … We’re living our fairytale right now, and Megan, you’re my happily ever after,” he said.

Although fans only witnessed the weddings today, they were actually filmed last year. The contestants have been sworn to secrecy, although some fans were left ‘fuming’ with their hints on TikTok before the wedding ceremony. ***Warning: Love Is Blind UK Season 2 spoilers ahead***

To no one’s surprise, Kieran and Megan have dropped the biggest hints yet that they’re together, as their pictures have coincidentally shared the same background more than once.

Before the finale dropped, eagle eyed fans noticed that the two had taken a trip to Frankfurt, Germany at the same time. Although they were careful not to include each other – they weren’t fooling Netflix fans.

Dropping an even more telling clue, fans noticed that the couple have the same background when posting in their houses – ‘confirming’ that they’re still married a year on from the show.

“Megan and Kieran are very married, you can see from the photos/videos that the house is the same, I love them,” wrote one fan on X, formerly known as Twitter, while another said: “I hope they are married. Because look at these photos!!! Aaahhh!”

Although fans are convinced the couple are still very much together, they’ll have to wait until Sunday, 31 August for the reunion show, where each couple’s status will be confirmed.

During the final two episodes, we also saw Kal and Sarover and Ashleigh and Billy tie the knot. However, Bardha shockingly said no to Jed at the altar – but have they kept a relationship going?

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The duo met more than 20 years ago when she interviewed his band Busted on MTV’s TRL

Love Is Blind UK’s Emma and Matt Willis briefly followed the same path before they met with the celebrities both taking on roles in EastEnders.

The second season of Love Is Blind UK has gone down a storm with more instant connections and fiery personalities keeping Netflix subscribers hooked.

At the heart of it all are real-life married presenters Emma and Matt Willis who met back in 2004 when Emma, then 29, interviewed Busted on MTV’s TRL, including 22-year-old Matt.

Four years later, the pair got married at Rushton Hall, Northamptonshire and welcomed their three children in 2009, 2011 and then their youngest five years later.

But years before meeting, both Emma and Matt experienced what life is like in BBC ’s iconic Albert Square.

In November 1999, The Voice presenter had a guest role in an episode of EastEnders as a youngster called Jodie. She starred alongside Jodie’s mum, played by actress Joanna Hole, although there is little information on what her involvement in the episode was.

In a still image from the episode, Emma looks a lot younger and has longer hair, in comparison to her famous short haircut.

Meanwhile, Busted star Matt made a couple of trips to Walford, the first being an unnamed teenager on a skateboard in 1998.

The second of the two was a far larger role in 2014 when Matt was already well known for being part of the noughties pop band.

He was behind Luke Riley, Stacey Slater’s (Lacey Turner) long-term boyfriend who she was living with in London after she killed Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb).

Stacey had been pretending that her name was Jenny Smith but when he found out the truth, she headed back to Walford to live with Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace).

Luke still loved Stacey though and was willing to make another go of things, however, upon discovering she was a killer, he left for good this time, leaving her heartbroken.

Love Is Blind UK is available to watch on Netflix.

Love Is Blind UK fans have been left fuming with the second series, as they claim the contestants being allowed to post on social media has ‘given away’ who’s still together

Netflix has had fans hooked with the second series of Love Is Blind UK, with the second batch of episodes dropping earlier this week. Next week, fans will be able to watch the final two episodes, in which they’ll find out which couples survive the altar – but spoilers may have already given it away.

At the end of episode eight, there are just four couples remaining in the process, with after hearing about Javen’s antics at the mixer afterparty.

Next week, fans will witness Kal and Sarover, Megan and Kieran, Billy and Ashleigh and Jed and Bardha walk down the altar, but who will say I do? Well, fans think they’ve already worked it out from the stars’ social media – and they’re not happy.

READ MORE: Love Is Blind UK couple’s ‘epic’ love story not shown on TV and how it nearly fell apartREAD MORE: Love Is Blind UK fans ‘can’t watch’ after star’s awkward blunder

Eagle eyed fans have spotted clues on couples Megan and Kieran and Jed and Bardha’s Instagram posts, hinting that they’re still together.

Fans have noticed Megan and Kieran have been posting pictures with the same backgrounds – with the two both taking a trip to Frankfurt.

“Megan and Kieran are very married, you can see from the photos/videos that the house is the same, i love them,” wrote one fan, with many others spotting the similar backgrounds in their pictures.

Elsewhere, another fan says to have left a comment on Sarover’s TikTok, saying she ‘deserves better’ than her partner Kal – with Sarover liking the comment.

“You’re literally somebody’s dream girl,” the comment read. “You deserve wayyyyy better than him.”

Aside from social media, next week’s teaser shows Bardha breaking down in tears during the hen do, revealing they had a huge argument. Later on in the trailer, Bardha can be seen breaking down in tears while her friend consoles her.

Fans think this is a huge giveaway the couple didn’t tie the knot, although it could just be a part of the edit to throw viewers off…

From the start of the series, fans had been issuing complaints that the participants had been given the freedom to post on social media while the show was airing, claiming it had ‘ruined the show’.

“They’re making it obvious they’re not married,” wrote one, while another said: “This season is actually good they need to stop spoiling it.”

“I’m already figuring out who’s married or not and it’s so annoying omg,” wrote another, as another fan penned: “I think they’re speaking to defend themselves but the reality is they have no control over how they are perceived by the public (no matter how many videos they make) – the producers do.”

Shila, who starred in Love Is Blind Germany also commented on social media, claiming: “And we weren’t even allowed to follow each other until the reunion aired.”

Viewers will have to wait until Wednesday to see what really happens…

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Some of the relationship journeys are never shown

A Love Is Blind UK couple have shared their “epic” love story that was not shown on TV, and how it very nearly all fell apart.

Love Is Blind UK has returned for a second season, with five newly engaged couples navigating their lives together after an extensive dating period on their pods. The latest batch of episodes (August 20) have seen the couples move on to the next phase of their journey.

But of course, not every love story has been shown on screens. Stars Amy and James found their way to one another, despite not being seen on screens.

Primary school teacher Amy, from Wales had been single for two years after her last relationship broke down when she suggested they started a family. Despite living in Dubai for the last few years, now back on home soil, she was ready to find her life partner.

Similarly, real estate manager James had been married before and has two daughters. The 33-year-old used to divide his time between the UK and Thailand where his mum is from.

According to Netflix’s Tudum, Amy initially said yes to another proposal but a twist of fate soon found her back to James. She said: “I’m a big believer in the universe, everything unfolds exactly how it’s meant to unfold.”

It has been revealed that during their dating period, Amy and James had actually found a lot in common, including the fact she recently returned from a trip to Thailand, where James had been living.

However, despite getting on in the pods, they were also forming other relationships. Amy admitted: “That day we missed was key because by day three, I had a strong bond with somebody else.”

Amy had started to build a connection with Ross M, whilst James was dating both Holly and Laurie. However, James admitted they were both “playing it safe” as he told Tudum: “In hindsight, I should’ve laid it on a bit thicker with Amy, but I didn’t want to propose and then have her say no.”

When it came to making a decision, Amy was left “crying”, unable to decide, until she said yes when Ross M had proposed. However, it was James who could not bring himself to propose to another woman.

After their first night out together, Amy and Ross soon called their relationship off, but a few days later she found herself chatting to James on Instagram. At the time, she was in Spain, and so James drove six hours to the airport to pick her up upon her UK return.

He added: “It was pretty epic.” They made their relationship official around two weeks later before James declared his love, and they have gone from strength to strength since, even meeting James’ children.

The two have now spent the last three months living together in Malta. Amy added: “Love Is Blind sets a foundation where you have to be vulnerable and emotional because there’s nothing else you can offer.

“Communication has been a strong point in our relationship, and I think that has genuinely come from starting in the pods.”

Love Is Blind UK season 2 is streaming on Netflix

Fans were quick to pick up on the awkward scenes

*Warning: Contains spoilers for Love Is Blind UK Season 2*

Love Is Blind UK fans admitted the “can’t watch” after an awkward scene played out between one couple.

The popular dating show returned to screens earlier this month, with five new couples throwing themselves into the experiment and getting engaged. However, the biggest test for the pairs came this week when they moved in together to plan their upcoming nuptials.

With that, also came meeting one another’s friends and family. But for one couple, this did not go down as well as hoped.

Kal and Sarover immediately hit it off in the dating pods, but their differing backgrounds meant potential trouble for the two. Sarover grew up in a modern Indian family and has never had a serious relationship or dated outside of her ethnic background before.

For Kal, his dad is Pakistani and his mother is English and he is part of a large, close-knit family. But fans have been rooting for the pair as they quickly became firm favourites amongst viewers.

Worried about meeting Sarover’s parents, Kal admitted it was “unsettling” as he said he doesn’t “know which way it’s going to go”. Sitting down with Sarover’s mum and sister, he said: “I know you’re a bit sceptical about me because obviously we’ve never met.”

When asked what was unique and different about Sarover, Kal replied: “Erm, a couple of things to be honest”, before Sarover’s mum asked: “That would be good to hear.”

He went on to say: “So, I’ve never dated a southern girl before, I’m gunna be honest I like the posh Southern accent. Something new and exciting for me, and then, so yeah.” After an awkward silence, he added: “We’re both obviously into fitness.”

When asked if he was 100% ready for marriage and the commitment, Kal replied: “I want to settle down, I want kids, family, all that. Hopefully with this beautiful lady who’s your daughter.

“Good work by the way, and yeah, I just I don’t know, just can’t wait for the wedding now, I’m a lucky guy.” He later added: “The universe does work in mysterious ways sometimes.”

And fans were quick to pick up on the awkward scenes. Taking to X, one fan wrote: “Omg Kal messed that up so badly in front of her family I am screaming?! I have secondhand embarrassment I can’t watch this.”

Another said: “Kal saying random stuff in front of Sarover’s mother was awkward. I bought Indian clothes”, alongside a laughing emoji. A third added: “That meeting was so awkward.” A fourth penned: “Kal can’t even say what he likes about Sarover but is shocked her mum might oppose him… okay.”

One viewer commented: “Nah I can’t believe Kal has come to tell Sarover’s family rubbish. This is deeply embarrassing for her.” Branding it a “tough watch” one fan said: “As much as I’m rooting for Kal & Sarover, that *first* scene of him meeting her family was a tough watch…”

Will Kal and Sarover have their happy ending? Viewers will have to wait until August 27 to find out, when the final two episodes are released.

Love Is Blind UK season 2 is streaming on Netflix

Love Is Blind UK is back for another four episodes, with a cast reunion party providing plenty of drama.

*Warning – This article contains minor spoilers for Love Is Blind UK season 2 episode 7.*

Some newly-engaged couples were tested in the second part of Love Is Blind UK season 2, with some of their co-stars opting to stir the pot during the reunion party in episode 7.

Earlier in the pods stage of the Netflix show, gaming entrepreneur Kieran was chatting to both Sophie and Megan.

However, he eventually decided to commit to Megan, calling things off with Sophie before going down on one knee and asking him to marry her.

Sophie appeared deeply angered by Kieran’s decision, as she stormed off set before the first part of the show had finished.

While things have been going smoothly for Megan and Kieran, their relationship was tested when Sophie appeared at the party.

Megan looked visibly uncomfortable as Sophie walked in, but the pair went on to exchange a quick hug as they greeted one another.

The girls then helped Sophie match the boys’ names to their faces, with one of them telling her Kieran was in the “funky jacket”.

Sophie then said: “Yeah, Meg, I don’t know how you let him wear that.”

Seemingly unbothered, Megan smiled back: “I love it.”

“Okay,” Sophie laughed, as Megan could then be seen telling the camera: “Sophie and I weren’t the closest in the pods, but I know the intention of these little comments being made.

“She’s trying to make me doubt Kieran, so take it with a pinch of salt and chuck it over the shoulder, carry on.”

Later that night, Sophie and Kieran were seen catching up, with the pair keeping it civil and clearing the air.

“I truly do wish you the best,” Sophie told him, with the pair doing a “cheers” before walking off.

Moments later, she said: “I feel like he got closure. I feel very much over the situation.”

Asked how she feels about Kieran having seen him in real life, Sophie later added to the girls: “He’s not my type. Like, not in a horrible way, but I just don’t normally date blondes. Well, at least you guys have good-looking lads.”

Speaking to Megan and Ashleigh about the situation, Kieran admitted: “I’m a little bit confused about everything I’ve heard about Sophie, because I just got the same pod Sophie that I got the whole experiment.”

Looking fed up, Megan said: “It’s hard for me. It’s annoying because I’ve seen so many sides of her that you’ve not seen.

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“I don’t want anyone to manipulate you – especially when they’re acting the way they are,” she added.

Checking to see if Megan was okay, Kieran clarified: “You know I don’t care about anyone else other than you.”

“I know that; it’s just frustrating,” Megan admitted. “And it’s really hard when I’ve told you. It’s really hard for me, now I have this relationship with you that this girl is…”

“Maybe it’s naivety from me, because I always see the best in people regardless of who they are,” Kieran reflected.

“I just struggle when you’re like ‘everything is fine’ and you’re giggling and I’m like…” Megan added with a grimace. “I just don’t want people mugging you off.”

“I’m definitely protective of Kieran and I don’t want him to look like he’s being mugged off, basically,” she reiterated to the cameras.

Love Is Blind UK season 2 episodes 1-8 are available to watch on Netflix now.

A BLIND 99-year-old with her heart set on reaching one hundred, has died after being scolded by a cup of tea, an inquest hears.

Margaret Eluned Roberts suffered severe burns after the piping hot black tea spilled onto her at a nursing home in Anglesey, Wales.

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Today, an inquest into the elderly woman’s death heard the burn contributed to Mrs Roberts catching a chest infection.

She died roughly five weeks after the incident.

However, a senior coroner has concluded that the death was accidental.

The pensioner’s daughter has slammed Glan Rhos nursing home in a recent statement.

Linda Pritchard explained that she received a phone call soon after the incident occurred.

She said she asked “why did they give a blind lady hot black tea?”

Kate Robertson, senior coroner for north west Wales, found that Mrs Roberts died from pneumonia and cellulitis secondary to a burn.

Ms Robertson also found that old age, asthma and ischaemic heart disease were contributing factors.

Sarah Thomas, a healthcare assistant at Glan Rhos nursing home in Brynsiencyn, who handed Mrs Roberts the cup of black tea, said she knew she was registered blind.

She gave the tea to Mrs Roberts in a plastic, two-handed beaker on September 22 last year, insisting that the pensioner was very independent and “wanted to drink the cup of tea herself.”

The healthcare assistant went on to explain that she watched Mrs Roberts sip the drink through a straw in the spout then moved away.

The inquest heard, that moments later, she spilt the tea on herself at around 7pm.

Ms Thomas claims she didn’t hear a scream.

Jo Reavey, a nurse, said in a statement that she heard “Eluned shouting in an urgent tone.”

She explained that she found her “distraught with her arms raised” and the beaker “upside down” with “black tea on her trousers.”

The wound started blistering as staff frantically put cold towels on it.

An ambulance was called at 7.51pm and arrived at Glan Rhos nursing home at about 10pm.

Mrs Roberts was taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor. 

The wound was initially eight per cent of her body weight but after reddening reduced it was classified as four per cent. 

At the hospital, the pensioner’s blisters were lanced and her wound was dressed before being discharged.

She later returned to the nursing home, however soon after, developed chest problems.

On October 7, Mrs Roberts daughter asked for her mother to be readmitted to Ysbyty Gwynedd. 

Doctor Abdul Azu, a consultant physician, told the inquest her condition was not improving.

She died there on October 28, about five weeks after the scalding.

Doctor Azu is confident that the burn contributed to the chest infection and her declining health.

The coroner Mrs Robertson, said Mrs Roberts died on October 28 ‘as a result of the medical conditions which were precipitated by the burn injury sustained on her leg.’

She said the spillage had been ‘unintended and accidental’ and gave the cause of death of Mrs Roberts as an accident.

Mrs Robertson told Mrs Pritchard: ‘Mam wanted to reach 100-years-old. It would have been such a significant milestone for her and for you.’

Love Is Blind UK has returned with 30 new singletons entering the pods in the hope of finding true love.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Love Is Blind UK season two.

Love Is Blind UK fans have watched five couples get engaged but not everyone is happy with one match in particular.

A year has gone by since the first series of UK’s Love Is Blind debuted on Netflix with real-life married couple Emma and Matt Willis hosting the dating show.

Singles from across the UK and Ireland gathered to the Love Is Blind pods where they got to know potential partners without ever seeing them, in a bid to find that deep emotional connection.

By the end of the fourth episode, five couples got engaged and were able to see each other for the first time but it wasn’t smooth sailing by any means.

Katisha, 31, found herself in a love triangle with 30-year-old financial analyst Demola and 28-year-old health coach Javen while in the pods.

She initially decided to go with Demola but in an unexpected U-turn, Katisha changed her mind after another date with Javen.

Katisha ended her time with Demola, going on to only pursue her romance with Javen which resulted in the pair becoming the last couple to get engaged.

However, throughout the dating process, Javen, a former professional footballer, had shown some worrying “red flags” according to fans.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, someone wrote: “The moment Javen said it’s a game he is playing, we all saw that red flag. Katisha girl,” followed by an eye roll emoji.

A fellow fan commented: “Javen saying grand gestures is not his thing confirmed to me that he is a red flag.”

While a third agreed: “Choosing Javen is crazy I’m sorry because what do you mean you want her to propose? Red flag,” and another stated: “Javen is a huge red flag. HUGE.”

Despite fans’ concerns with Javen’s behaviour, he and Katisha did get engaged, although they soon faced criticism from within the group.

Fellow groom Kal called out Katisha for how she treated Demola but she simply said she had a change of heart and it was nothing to do with what he personally did.

A teaser for next week’s batch of episodes sees Kal bringing up this issue with Javen as he questions if she could change her mind again.

Katisha is also going to meet up with Demola in real-life so there may be a chance a romantic connection could still blossom with them.

Love Is Blind UK season two is available to watch on Netflix.

Commissioner’s recommendations for tech companies include measures that have been criticised on privacy grounds.

Australia’s internet watchdog has accused tech giants including Google and Apple of failing to take action against child sex abuse on their platforms.

In a report released on Wednesday, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said tech platforms were failing to implement various measures to protect children, including scanning cloud services for known abuse material and using language analysis tools to detect attempted sexual extortion in messaging services.

Grant said that Apple and YouTube, which is owned by Google, also failed to track reports of child sex abuse and could not say how long it took them to respond to the reports they received.

“It shows that when left to their own devices, these companies aren’t prioritising the protection of children and are seemingly turning a blind eye to crimes occurring on their services,” Grant said in a statement.

“We need to keep the pressure on the tech industry as a whole to live up to their responsibility to protect society’s most vulnerable members from the most egregious forms of harm and that’s what these periodic notices are designed to encourage.”

Grant added that the companies had taken few steps to improve their efforts since being asked three years ago, “despite the promise of AI to tackle these harms and overwhelming evidence that online child sexual exploitation is on the rise”.

“No other consumer-facing industry would be given the licence to operate by enabling such heinous crimes against children on their premises, or services,” she said.

Google disputed the report’s findings, saying they were rooted in “reporting metrics, not online safety performance” and that more than 99 percent of abuse material on YouTube is automatically removed before being flagged.

“Child safety is critical to us,” a Google spokesperson said.

“We’ve led the industry fight against child sexual abuse material since day one, investing heavily in advanced technology to proactively find and remove this harmful content.”

Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Snap, and Discord, which were also included in the report, did not respond to requests for comment.

Tom Sulston, head of policy at Digital Rights Watch, said that while it was important for authorities to take action against online child abuse, some of the tools supported by the internet watchdog would raise serious civil liberties and privacy concerns.

Sulston said that scanning live calls and private messages would require platforms to abandon end-to-end encryption, which prevents communications from being viewed by anyone apart from the sender and receiver.

“That’s a gross invasion of privacy for all of the people making perfectly innocent and reasonable use of the service,” Sulston told Al Jazeera.

“It also has dangerous knock-on effects where the users of that service would be subject to surveillance from hostile actors – foreign governments, criminals, hackers. That’s a huge risk for civic society, activists, journalists and anyone who communicates on the internet.

Breaking encryption would be “disproportionate and dangerous,” Sulston added.

“We don’t expect the post office to open all letters and read them for illegal content – in fact, most countries have laws specifically against this,” he said.

Iconic dating show Blind Date is set for another reboot with it said to be getting a Love Island-style twist when it airs on Disney+

One of the most iconic gameshows is set to return to our screens, but with a twist. Fans of eighties television will be buzzing at the news that Blind Date is set for a reboot.

The dating show which was hosted by Cilla Black is set for a revival. However, instead of its previous ITV home, the show is set to appear on Disney+.

And in a dramatic twist, the show will see contestants spend time on a tropical island as hopefuls compete for a dream wedding on the golden sands. An insider claims the show will have “hints of Love Island about it”.

Talking to the Sun, the source said it’s a “radical departure” from the old style Blind Date. They told the publication: “But fans will recall a lot of the dates took place in hot, sunny climes abroad, and ­producers want to recapture some of the steamy fun, and expand upon that.

“Even the wedding element has hints of the old show, because the dream was always that the dates on the programme would lead to couples tying the knot.”

And they added that not all of the old ­characteristics will be eliminated, with plans still set to incorporate the show’s famous ­sliding wall. The source went on to say the show’s producers hope to “hire a top female host just like Cilla”.

It’s said a star-studded line-up of female hosts are being eyed up to step into Cilla’s shoes. Among those being rumoured are Holly Willoughby, Davina McCall and The Traitors‘ Claudia Winkleman.

It’s unknown whether the show will provide a replacement for voiceover Graham Skidmore, aka ‘Our Graham’.

The show’s return was speculated earlier this month, 22 years after it last aired. The ITV show originally aired on Saturday nights from 1985-2003. At the time, saw hundreds of couples meet for the first time looking for love.

Like most dating shows, many didn’t last past the studio doors, however a number of couples did make it all the way to the alter.

Any reboot won’t be the first time the show has been revived. Most recently, in 2017, the show made its return on Channel 5. It came two years after the death of original host Cilla Black – with Paul O’Grady replacing the late host.

Melanie Sykes also joined the show as a replacement for ‘Our Graham’ providing the iconic voiceover. The show ran for four series until June 2019. Original voiceover Graham died in 2021 at age 90, seven years after the death of host Cilla Black in 2015.

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IT is one of the most nostalgic TV reboots of the year – but I can reveal the return of Blind Date will come with a very modern Love Island-style twist.

Earlier this month I revealed the programme, made famous by host Cilla Black in the Eighties on ITV, was being revived by Disney+.

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But it will have a different flavour because much of the show will be spent on a tropical island — just like Love Island, hosted by Maya Jama— where contestants will compete for a dream wedding on the golden sands.

A TV insider said: “This sounds like a radical departure from the old Blind Date, one that definitely has hints of Love Island about it.

“But fans will recall a lot of the dates took place in hot, sunny climes abroad, and ­producers want to recapture some of the steamy fun, and expand upon that.

“Even the wedding element has hints of the old show, because the dream was always that the dates on the programme would lead to couples tying the knot.”

Cilla was at the helm for 18 years on the show which saw a contestant firing questions at three hopefuls concealed from their view by a wall — which slid back to reveal their chosen date.

One of the hopefuls in 1991 was Amanda Holden.

The TV insider added: “In the reboot, the creators are not entirely dispensing with all of the old ­characteristics either as there are still plans to incorporate the show’s famous ­sliding wall and hire a top female host just like Cilla.”

Disney+ is imminently expected to confirm it is reviving Blind Date, though all details have been kept firmly under wraps.

No presenter has signed up as yet but the channel is targeting some big names in British TV, with the main criteria being that they have to be hugely famous women.

Here’s hoping whoever gets the role doesn’t mind getting a bit of sand between their toes in the course of the job.

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KATH TAKES FLIGHT

KATHERINE KELLY is back dishing out the drinks . . . 13 years after pulling pints in the Rovers Return.

On Corrie she played feisty barmaid Becky McDonald, while now she’s cabin crew on new Channel 4 thriller In Flight.

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Katherine will also be serving up some nerve-racking moments as single mum Jo Conran whose life is turned upside down by crooks.

Through the airline she works for, she finds herself blackmailed into drug smuggling after her son is imprisoned in Bulgaria for a murder he claims he didn’t commit.

The six-parter, set in Bangkok, Bulgaria, Istanbul and London, wrapped filming this spirng and is set to air later this year.

STEPHEN IN TECH LESSON

STEPHEN FRY wants to make a futuristic TV drama series where e-mails, TikTok and SnapChat are “uncool” and people return to basic communication in “an unplugged life”.

The Celebrity Traitors star told podcast Extraordinary Life Stories: “I was planning to write a TV series in which this kid comes to a school and completely changes it.”

The pupil asks the teacher how to submit his essay as he doesn’t have a computer so can’t email it.

Stephen continues: “All the other (pupils) think ‘Who is this ridiculous child?’

“But then he starts influencing everybody. They think this is quite a fun way to live.

“We’ve come to a tipping point now where the uncoolest thing in the world is Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok.

“We know they’re harmful, but they are also vapid and shallow and silly.

“Imagine an unplugged life using all these fabulous old tools. You’d be the coolest people.”

SEX JOKE BIT MUCH FOR WILL

BRIT actor Will Sharpe came over all prudish about a sex scene in upcoming Netflix rom-com series Too Much . . . well, compared with the Americans on set.

He cringed as US actress Megan Stalter, who plays the lead role in the show about an American woman coping with a new life in London, joked with the show’s US creator Lena Dunham after the X-rated action.

At this week’s launch of the show, which drops on July 10, Lena said: “One of Meg’s favourite things to do is to ask you after a take: ‘What face were you making during that?’

“One time it was right after a sex scene and Meg was like: ‘What face were you making during that?’

“And I heard Will’s mic, like: ‘Jesus f***ing Christ, Meg!’”

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