LOVE Is Blind is finally back on our screens – but with a big twist.
Netflix’s wildly popular reality dating show, Love Is Blind, has crossed the pond to the UK for a British spinoff, with a brand new batch of singletons joining the quest to find true love.
Emma and Matt Willis are the hosts of the new social experiment, where singles looking for love get engaged before meeting in person.
The first four episodes are now available to stream on Netflix, and it was in the second episode of the new series, where we got to know Natasha, 32, a Careers Co-ordinator from Cheshire.
Natasha explained that after a battle with her weight, her confidence has now evolved, but she wants a man that will see the real her.
The blonde-haired woman explained: “Being in the dating world is hard, it’s so superficial, everyone is constantly looking for the next best thing.
“People just see me as a skinny blonde girl and think they’ll take me out on a quick drink. It’s quite surface level.
“A year and a half ago, I lost five stone.
“There was a point in my life where I had virtually no confidence in who I was as a person.
“I felt like I had lost my identity a little bit.
“Since I’ve lost the weight, I would say men see me a little bit differently.
“Based on face value, I want someone who just finds out who I am.”
Natasha explained that she won’t be a trophy wife, and is much more intelligent than people may assume.
She added: “I am not a trophy wife. I am a serious, intelligent woman.
“I want affection and I want love and I want someone who’s there for me and cares for me.
“I want to love with no fear, that’s the dream.”
It doesn’t matter what I look like. I know I’ve got a good heart
Natasha
Eager for a fairy tale ending, Natasha sat down and got to know Tom, 38, a PR and Advertising Consultant, as she admitted: “I’m looking for someone to do life with.”
Natasha opened up on the side of her that may come as a shock to many, as she confessed: “I do coding and stuff in my own time and do website development.
“I’m a bit of a self-proclaimed nerd, I’ll be honest.
“I’m a bit of an introverted extrovert.
I’ve spent so long building on my confidence, I feel like for a long time, I had very little
Natasha
“I like my own space, I like to sit in and do coding.
“I love movies and I love going to the cinema. I literally go on my own.”
The pair seemed to be hitting it off, and Tom was beaming when he described Natasha as “genuine, authentic, sensitive and amazing”.
After a series of chats, Natasha explained: “I’ve never felt this connection with anyone, there’s an energy, I can’t put my finger on it.”
EMMA WILLIS and her husband Matt are the latest couple to present a TV show together – but unlike some telly spouses, they won’t be chatting to celebs on a sofa.
They are fronting new dating programme Love Is Blind — and the title seems ironic to Matt, who first met presenter Emma when he was in chart-topping band Busted.
He said with a laugh: “Love wasn’t blind for me. I was like, ‘That’s the fit girl from MTV, I’m going to go straight for that!’.”
Matt, 41, admits he felt like he was punching above his weight with the former model, now 48.
He added: “I’ve always felt like that. I knew from very early on in my relationship, ‘I’m going to grab on for dear life’. And I’ve managed to stick it out for 20 years. We’re quite soppy these days.”
It sounds like Emma was just as bowled over.
She said: “I would have fallen in love with Matt’s personality. But obviously the way somebody looks is going to play a part in it.
“Yes, when you see someone, you need to be attracted to them.
“But the concept of Love Is Blind is seeing if that emotional connection has more longevity than just a physical one that might fizzle out.”
The Netflix dating show is a global smash hit following six series in the US — hosted by married couple Nick and Vanessa Lachey — as well as versions in other countries.
Producers were said to be considering Chris and Rosie Ramsey, as well as Rochelle and Marvin Humes, to present the UK edition.
But Matt and Emma are the perfect choice — because they know romance can be a real roller coaster ride.
Producers were said to be considering Chris and Rosie Ramsey, as well as Rochelle and Marvin Humes, to present the UK edition.
But Matt and Emma are the perfect choice — because they know romance can be a real roller coaster ride.
“With any relationship, when things are good, things are good. But when things hit tough times, or when there’s a rock in the road, that’s when the real test happens.”
Emma added: “Everybody faces a bump. But how big that bump is and how they navigate those bumps are all different.
“Patience, give and take and being able to communicate are all key.”
Matt admitted to a magazine: “I put her through the wringer for a number of years. I came out of that rehab centre three days before we got married.
“She hadn’t said, ‘I’m not going to marry you’. But I knew that was on the cards.”
Emma added: “He had to make a choice. I didn’t want to leave, but I also couldn’t let it be my life, or the life of any kids we might have. Thank f*** he sorted himself out.”
Emma has since had three children with Matt — Isabelle in 2009, Ace in 2011 and Trixie in 2014.
While Matt still plays with Busted, who enjoyed a sell-out 20th anniversary tour last year, The Voice host Emma remains one of TV’s most popular presenters.
Working together on screen, though, is a full-circle moment after their first collaboration on jungle spin-off I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! NOW! in 2007, when Emma was pregnant with Isabelle.
She said: “People have always asked us over the years, ‘Do you think you’d ever do anything together?’.
“And we’ve always said we would if it made sense.
“But then Netflix just approached us and went, ‘What about this?’. And we’re like, ‘Oh, that kind of seems fitting. It’s an absolute yes from us’.”
On Love Is Blind, pairs of singletons sit either side of a pane of frosted glass.
Unable to see each other, they form connections through conversation alone — and after falling in love, some go on to propose.
Only then are they allowed to meet face to face, before going on a luxury holiday and later moving in together.
After just one month there’s a wedding day, when the bride and groom have the chance to say “I do” — or “I don’t”.
Emma said: “We want to intervene all the time, but we’re not allowed. All the way along, we asked, ‘Can we go and chat to them about that?’. And they’re like, ‘No’.
“‘Can I meet the families?’. ‘No’. ‘Can we go to the weddings?’. ‘No’.
“But I get it. Because I think if you want the relationship to work, and for them to thrive, you want it to remain in that bubble for as long as possible.”
Matt said: “I haven’t been on a date since I was 21. I’m 41 now, so the thought of doing it would just be strange.”
Emma added with a laugh: “Even online dating just seems like an absolutely bonkers concept.
“Me and Matt are so old that our relationship pre-dated apps.”
But by the start of the fourth episode, Tom questioned: “Do you think that’s what you can base a marriage on? I don’t know.”
Tom later dropped a bomb that left Natasha devastated: “It could just be a friendship.
“It’s just my feeling. I have to trust my gut on it.”
As Natasha broke down in tears, she shared: “I just don’t think our story ends here.
“I hope you’re happy, I wish you the best.”
Talking to camera, Natasha sobbed and revealed: “It’s hard to talk about – I understand where he’s coming from in terms of logic, but there’s this undeniable connection that I can’t explain.
“I didn’t think I’d come in here and genuinely feel like this for someone. It’s insane.
“Obviously I’m sad, I came here to meet someone and that’s not worked out for me.
“I’ve spent so long building on my confidence, I feel like for a long time, I had very little.
“It doesn’t matter what I look like. I know I’ve got a good heart.”
