The Love Is Blind: UK singles didn’t just fall in love — they fell hard. Six couples made it out of the pods, down the aisle, and into the hearts of fans watching their journeys around the world.

But those love stories weren’t the only ones that unfolded this season. The dating experiment also worked its magic on Olivia and Conor, two members of the Season 1 pod squad who got engaged sight unseen. The cameras didn’t follow their relationship beyond the pods, but the couple forged ahead on their own to discover whether love is truly blind — and if it could go the distance in the real world with no one watching. 

Below, Conor and Olivia share their Love Is Blind: UK experience, what drew them together in the pods, and whether they’re still a couple today. If you’re curious about where all the couples stand after the finale, check out our official status update.  

While Tom was the first man Olivia met in the pods, she felt an “instant connection” with Conor that deepened date after date. 

“The first time I heard Conor, I knew he was going to be trouble for me,” she tells Tudum. His accent was an immediate “weak spot”: “I very much appreciate an Irish man.” Meanwhile, Conor was intrigued by Olivia’s distinct approach to dating in the pods that separated her from the rest of the pack. “She was a slow burner who didn’t give everything up at once,” he says. 

As the two spent more time together, they discovered their connection went beyond a strong first impression. “She was incredibly ambitious, and we spoke about building a successful and productive future together,” Conor says. Olivia was struck by how the Dublin-based health-food business owner spoke about “the life he wants and the milestones he wants to achieve.” Both opened up to each other in ways they hadn’t expected. “I spoke to him about topics in my life that I hadn’t spoken to my ex-partner of 18 months about,” says Olivia. Conor even paid attention to the little things, like when he surprised Olivia in the pods with oat milk hot chocolate after she mentioned in passing that she was longing for a taste of home. “I was speechless, as none of us girls had received gifts yet,” she says.

Yet even the most romantic Love Is Blind courtships have their share of bumps, and Olivia was just one of Conor’s connections. “Admittedly, we didn’t have the smoothest journey in the pods,” she explains. “Unfortunately for me, Conor was a very popular guy with the rest of the girls.” Torn between Olivia and Ella, Conor pursued both women until the night before the big proposal day. “I wanted to give each connection enough time to see which was the most likely to develop into a happy relationship,” he says. “I absolutely regret leaving it until the last day to propose to Olivia. She had a lot of unnecessary stress put on her.”

But a tear-filled conversation with Olivia changed everything for the couple: They let down their guards and expressed just how much they meant to each other. Once Conor broke off his other connection, their path to happily ever after was finally clear. But Olivia had only his word to depend on as she anxiously waited for him to get down on one knee. “I had no idea what was going to happen, as we hadn’t spoken since,” she explains. “I was a little bit of a hot mess, but what girl wouldn’t be in a love triangle?” 

Of course, he stuck to his promise. The two took a leap of faith and left the pods as fiancés. When they finally laid eyes on each other, no one was disappointed. “Olivia was incredibly beautiful and lit up the whole room,” Conor recalls. “It was intense and passionate and just a relief to be able to finally physically be with each other.” Battling through her own nerves, Olivia needed a moment to adjust. But when Conor picked her up and whispered in her ear, everything changed. “I just felt safe,” she says. “And let’s be realistic here — who wouldn’t be delighted to see Conor at the reveal?”

While they weren’t selected as one the couples the cameras followed to the romantic retreat and beyond, Olivia and Conor knew that their story was far from over. In fact, they chose to mirror the experiment’s next steps by booking their own Grecian holiday, whether the cameras were rolling or not. Plus, they knew that once they returned home, they’d be leading separate lives: Olivia lives in London, Conor in Ireland. For weeks, the couple soaked up their time on vacation. “We continued to talk about our future, what it could look like, what we wanted to do next, and where we would live to make the relationship work, all over a lot of wine on the beach,” Olivia says. At the time, both believed they could intertwine their lives. “We got on really well and were very comfortable in each other’s company,” says Conor.  

But when they left Greece and reality crept back in, their fledgling engagement faced its biggest obstacle — long distance. The two remained committed to each other. Olivia visited Conor, and says, “It was super lovely to get an insight into his life.” Despite their best intentions, though, their relationship came to an end. “Connecting in the pods is a very specific situation and removes a lot of the circumstances of real life from the equation,” Conor explains. “Entering back into the real world poses challenges to the relationship. In the end, we decided it would be better to remain as friends.” Olivia describes the split as “extremely hard,” chalking up their breakup to busy work schedules and limited in-person time together. 

While marriage wasn’t in the cards, Conor and Olivia remain incredibly close, walking away from the experiment with a forever kind of bond they never expected to share. “The fact that we had such a strong connection in the pods wasn’t a coincidence,” says Conor. “We ended on amicable terms and have a huge amount of respect for each other.” These days, the two chat regularly, sharing advice, support, and silly stories as Love Is Blind: UK has rolled out over the past few weeks. “I feel extremely fortunate for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Olivia says, “and to have experienced it with such an incredible person like Conor.”

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