A FOOTBALLER’s best mate, a glamorous music boss and a funeral director who hates being single are all taking a leap of faith on the UK’s first-ever Love Is Blind series.
The hit Netflix show – made famous in the US – is an experiment that tests whether singletons can successfully marry the person they fell blindly in love with.
Over several weeks, the couples get engaged and move in together after falling for each other from behind a screen.
It’s then down to the couple to plan their wedding and find out if their physical connection matches their strong emotional bond developed in the Pods.
Helping to find their soulmate in a less-conventional approach to modern dating is TV dream couple Matt and Emma Willis.
Here we take a look at the singles who have signed up for the show.
AARON is a 33-year-old chicken restaurateur from Milton Keynes whose best friend is England footballer Ivan Toney.
Since coming out of a long-term relationship, businessman Aaron has enjoyed being single, but the party lifestyle is starting to feel empty for him.
He wants to find a partner to settle down with which would delight his close-knit family – Aaron’s role models are his own parents who have been together for 34 years and he is hoping to find a lasting love like theirs.
BENAIAH is 33 from Preston and works as a structural landscaper.
Globe-trotting Benaiah has been single for 11 years following a breakup he found difficult to recover from.
He loves adventure and the outdoors but is yearning for a deeper connection with someone and finally feels ready to let his guard down and open up.
STAFFORDSHIRE-born Bobby is 33 and works as a luxury shopping guide.
Losing his cousin Danny in tragic circumstances has made Bobby realise that life is too short to spend it alone.
After travelling the world with his job, he is ready to find the right girl and settle back in the UK.
Spiritual Bobby, writes and records his own music and says his mum is the most important person in his life.
NETFLIX is dropping the episodes in batches over August.
Episodes 1-4: Wednesday 7th August
Episodes 5-9: Wednesday 14th August
Episodes 10-11: Wednesday 21st August
CATHERINE, 29, works as a dental nurse from Jersey.
Catherine reckons living on the small island of Jersey is hampering her chances of finding an eligible bachelor and she needs to cast her net further afield.
She was adopted as a baby and has never met a man who understands how this has shaped her life which has, in turn, impacted her relationships.
CHARLIE is 34 from Hertfordshire and is general manager of a gym.
Cheeky chappy Charlie has been single for five years and is searching for a physical spark with someone who can also be his best friend.
His mum is just as keen for him to settle down and even took over his dating apps last year in a bid to help him find love.
DUBLIN-born Conor is 31 and is the owner of a health food business.
Cheeky, flirtatious and down to earth, Conor has been single for seven years.
Since his last relationship ended, he has struggled to find anyone he can truly connect with.
After losing his mum three years ago, he started his own health food business in her memory, determined to make her proud. Now he’s keen to start a family of his own.
LONDONER Demi is a 30-year-old safeguarding and attendance manager
Sporty Demi loves boxing and playing football which she thinks some men are intimidated by.
She says she’s used to guys seeing her only as a friend but then suddenly finding her attractive when she gets dressed up and puts some makeup on.
Demi, who has mixed Caribbean and Maltese heritage, wants to meet someone, have kids and bag the fairytale ending.
SOCIAL worker Ella is from Derbyshire and is 27 years old.
Fun-loving half-Italian Ella has tried many ways to meet a partner but without success.
She was bullied in school and over the years this affected her confidence.
Now, she works with young people and enjoys helping those going through the same experiences she had.
Ella likes to play tennis, run, sing and bake in her spare time and says the family dog Dolly is her best friend.
GRAPHIC Designer Ellis is 27 from London.
She was predominantly raised by her dad who was her best friend and describes him as “husband goals”.
Single for the last year, Elle has been dating but hasn’t been able to find someone who wants the same things out of life.
She dreams of getting married and building a big family – something she never had.
FUNERAL director Freddie is 32 from Bolton.
Gym-loving Freddie was brought up by his mum and is very close to his brother Jack who has Down’s syndrome.
He says the empathy their bond has instilled in him has helped in his career as a funeral director.
A romantic at heart, Freddie doesn’t like being single and is hoping to find someone he can buy flowers for, take to dinner and travel the world with.
32-year-old Jake from Leicestershire is a civil engineer.
Jake is the agony uncle for all his friends and admits to being “soppy” when in a relationship.
After going through a breakup and losing his mum, Jake realised that he is eager to settle down and start a family.
Jake says he is ready to find the one and is known for falling in love quickly.
MENTAL Health Nurse Jasmine is from London and is 29 years old.
All Jasmine’s friends have settled down, but she has been steadfastly single for four years and says she never gets approached.
She describes her childhood as a “rollercoaster” due to moving from Norwich to the Philippines when she was eight.
Jasmine wants to walk down the aisle and thinks she’d make a good wife.
JOANES is a resident service manager from Luton who is 33.
Salsa King Joanes prefers old school romance to playing text tennis and mind games.
Born in Angola, he moved to the UK when he was one and says it’s important to him that any future partner loves to travel and experience different cultures.
Joanes is known to charm the ladies with his linguistic skills but is ultimately hoping to meet someone who shares his Christian values.
FASHION tech founder Jordan is 33 years old and lives in Surrey.
Sharp-dressing business owner Jordan is slow to build trust in a relationship and doesn’t take chances, which is where he feels he may have been going wrong in the past.
After watching his friends start to settle down and have families, Jordan thinks now might be the time to throw caution to the wind and take a risk on love.
LISA a baby photographer from Edinburgh and is 34 years old.
She falls in love easily but is tired of being judged for her looks.
Lisa is looking for a relationship of substance that’s all about what’s on the inside.
As a photographer specialising in newborn shoots, Lisa finds herself getting broody and longing for a baby of her own.
MAKE-UP artist Maria is 30 from Southampton.
She is hoping for a traditional relationship and is looking for a man who can protect and care for her.
Maria’s a fiery, outgoing and passionate woman who speaks her mind.
Her dad died in 2020 and losing him has been the biggest personal challenge she’s had to face so far.
NATASHA, 32, is a career coordinator from Cheshire.
Since splitting from her long-term partner two and a half years ago, Tash felt it was time she motivated herself to have a more healthy lifestyle and stay fit.
She says she frequently gets friend-zoned by guys but looks to her parents who have been married for 42 years.
Natasha hopes to have that for herself one day – and is keen to meet her “forever person.”
HEAD of brand and marketing’s Nicole is 29 from Surrey.
Nicole was previously married but divorced shortly after and as a result threw herself into her career.
She was raised Catholic and still believes there is life after divorce.
She still hasn’t given up on love and is hoping to be second-time lucky.
Nicole has mixed Ghanaian and Lebanese heritage and has lived in Ghana but is now settled in the UK.
CREATIVE project director Olivia is 28 from London.
Olivia puts being single down to the fact she’s spent years being extremely work-focused.
However, after living and working in LA, she is now back in the UK and feels ready to share her life.
Since her last relationship ended, Olivia has taken time to get to know herself and is hoping to find true love.
OLLIE works in software sales, lives in London and is 32.
Smooth talker Ollie hasn’t been in a serious relationship for six years.
He admits that he often goes for the “Instagram hot” girls and it never develops into anything deep or meaningful.
Ollie says he’s now ready to fall in love with someone’s heart rather than their looks – his nights out are now turning into friends’ weddings and he wishes he had a plus one.
37-year-old Priya is from Berkshire and works as a procurement manager.
Priya has been engaged before – but only for 24 hours, calling it off after realising she’d made a mistake.
She feels now might be the time to step back into the dating world and explore her options.
She’s looking to build a lasting connection with someone that goes beyond their physical attributes.
Priya’s parents had an arranged marriage and she sees them as a prime example of a loving relationship.
RIA is 34 from London and her job is as a commercial contracts manager.
She is ready to meet someone but feels she’s exhausted all the options – apart from Love is Blind.
Ria has five nieces and nephews who she adores and she loves being the cool aunty but she’s tired of friends and family asking when she’s going to settle down herself.
THE 30-year-old from Gloucestershire is a sports turf maintenance director.
Sports-mad Richie admits to needing a lot of reassurance from a partner and describes himself as caring with a lot of love to give.
Any love interest coming into Richie’s life would have to get along with his sister who is also his best friend and confidant.
TECHNO DJ and Cellist Ryan is 31 from Edinburgh.
Korean-born musician Ryan has been single for two years, having struggled to hold down a relationship because of his lifestyle which involves late nights and travel.
He has dated older women in the past and at 6ft 3in tends to be attracted to tall girls, although he is open to anything the pods might have to offer.
He is hoping Love is Blind will help him find someone who values commitment as much as he does.
SABRINA, 35, is a director of marketing and communications from Belfast.
Unlucky in love Sabrina is hoping to meet the man of her dreams in the experiment.
She hasn’t had much luck with men in her dating life which has led to her being hyper independent.
Sabrina believes the pods will give her an opportunity to get deep with men from the get-go.
She hopes to find someone who has worked through their own issues and wants to grow with her to be the best versions of themselves.
SAM is a 31-year-old Londoner who works as a product design manager.
Sam believes his progression up the career ladder has come at a cost as it’s left little time for love.
Having had his heart broken twice, he is hoping that the next person to come into his life will be third time lucky.
Privately-educated Sam enjoys travelling and says he often feels the pressure from his mum to find The One.
MUSIC boss Sharlotte, 35, London, global communications director at Universal.
High-flyer Sharlotte feels her career has gotten in the way of her love life and has found that men are intimidated by her success.
Single for eight years, she was briefly engaged to the guy she was with from the age of 19, but knew deep down they had grown apart and fallen out of love.
Sharlotte’s twin sister has recently moved in with her boyfriend and so her desire to find her own Mr Right is now stronger than ever.
JUNIOR Doctor Shirley, 27, is from London.
Shirley admits that in the past she has enjoyed the thrill of the chase but tends to fall for men who are emotionally unavailable.
This is something she’s working on and she realises now that she wants a partner she can build a life with and hopes to start a family as soon as possible.
Born in the Netherlands, she came to the UK as a young girl and has recently graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in medicine.
STEVEN is 37 years old from London and is a gym owner.
He has been single for four months following a whirlwind romance which ended when she moved back to the States.
Loyal, thoughtful and ambitious, this Brummie lad is only interested in relationships he sees as leading to marriage, knows exactly what he wants and refuses to compromise when it comes to love.
38-year-old Tom is a PR and advertising consultant from London.
He has been single for six years and says his thirties have been focused on personal growth and preparing to settle down.
He is a self-confessed mummy’s boy but has worked hard to build a successful career in PR and advertising and is now ready to fall in love and share his life with someone special.
