A WOMAN was brutally dumped by the altar in the most savage way after her dream man decided to call off their wedding.
They may have been one of the viewers’ favourites – but after landing in final of Love Is Blind UK, Maria Benkh’s story with Tom Stroud came to an abrupt end when the fiancé walked away from her.
The duo, one of the five couples who made it to the end of the Netflix series, connected quickly over the first episodes.
The two singletons instantly bonded over their unique sense of humour, as well as the loss of their dads, where Maria sadly lost her father in 2020 and Tom’s father left the family when he was a young child.
During the show, hosted by Emma and Matt Willis, Tom revealed to Maria: “I genuinely feel like I’m most myself with you.”
Maria also admitted to the dark-haired hunk: “I have never pictured my life with someone until I met you.
”I have never felt like this with anyone… You are absolutely amazing, I have never felt so sure about anyone.”
Things appeared to be progressing well, despite Maria’s ideal relationship being the ”traditional type”, where her future hubby would be the provided.
After Maria, a lash tech from Southampton, spent a fun day with the other contestants on a hen do, and Tom enjoyed a fun-filled stag do with his pals, the pair met at the altar.
Surrounded by family and those closest to them, the couple looked incredible, with the brunette beauty looking glam in a white gown and Tom sporting a smart suit.
As tears were rolling down the eyes of both the bride and the guests, Maria shared a heartfelt speech, where she thanked for helping her ”become a better person”.
”You’re someone I can lean on, someone I can go to when I need support.
”Someone who let’s me be me 100% without any judgement,” she said, before ending the emotional note with a declaration of love.
It was then decision-making time – and little did Maria, and those in the room, know her life would turn upside down.
After being asked if he would take the bride for his wife, Tom could be seen nervously avoiding eye contact – and dropping the bombshell.
”I love you.
”I just feel like right now is not the right time for me.
”We’ve had some differences in values and I haven’t had enough time to really understand how those differences would affect our life day-to-day.
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”You look so beautiful,” he told Maria who could no longer hold the tears back.
After being brutally dumped and left by the altar on her own, Maria bravely opened up about her shock which she was struggling to come to terms with.
”I absolutely can’t believe this. I wanted to get married. I wanted to be a wife and I feel incredibly sad that I didn’t get the ending that I had always pictured for myself.”
But despite the heartache, Maria admitted that ”it probably wasn’t the right time” for both of them
”Honestly, I don’t really know what to say. I think I am just shocked.”
Although Tom later confessed he found the decision incredibly difficult, he was worried about their future, especially as parents-to-be.
”My concern would be that if I had a boy, she would teach him to pay for most things when my lad would be dating for the first time.
”If I had a little girl, I wouldn’t want that girl to expect the guy to pay for everything.
”I would want to raise that girl as a strong, independent woman that contributes herself.”
