Love Is Blind UK's Ashleigh says Billy should have said "no" at the altar after marital breakdown
The couple speak to RadioTimes.com about how their marriage ended.
Love Is Blind UK viewers were left shocked when it was revealed that couple Ashleigh and Billy were no longer married, despite tying the knot in the finale episode.
Ashleigh and Billy seemed to be one of the most promising couples in the pods after getting engaged first and seemingly having no issues, but that was until cracks began to show when the couple had a disagreement on their food shop and Ashleigh's career – leading to Billy being unsure if he was 100 per cent ready to marry the cabin crew manager.
Plenty of viewers flocked to the final episode to see what Billy's decision would be, with Ashleigh ready to get married and, to her delight, Billy too. That was until three months in, as Ashleigh told RadioTimes.com, when the army physical trainer ended their marriage.
In an exclusive interview ahead of the reunion, Ashleigh explained she felt as though Billy began "dating [her] again and exploring things" while married, while she "went into the marriage as a marriage".
"[I was] looking forward to the future, looking forward to him moving down south and as soon as the cameras were off, he didn't want to come to the south," she explained. "He didn't have any intention of moving to the south, which was huge because how are we going to make this marriage work if you're not going to compromise slightly on that?"
When it came to the end of the relationship, Ashleigh told RadioTimes.com that Billy expressed he felt "disconnected" from her, and he "wasn't willing to fight or anything else and that was really heartbreaking".
She added: "So that happened in the January and [it was] a shock. I wish he was braver and I wish he truly thought about what he wanted because I think he should've said no to me at the altar."
Upon reflection, Billy told RadioTimes.com that while he did feel disconnected from Ashleigh, it was her job as cabin crew that saw his withdrawal from the marriage.
He explained: "Coming on the show I never wanted to be here. I think you kind of have to be true to yourself, so when me and Ashleigh stepped away, all my worst fears came true. It became a challenge, being cabin crew, and I personally feel like I tried as hard as I possibly could going down to see her. But the one thing you can't account for is jet lag.
"So yeah she's away for a couple days but when she comes back, she has to rest. So it's always me going down and it just took its toll and then we just started distancing. We stopped saying 'I love you', we were disconnecting and it was probably more me than her, but we just got to a turning point where we had to go one way or the other and unfortunately I made the decision and said, 'No, that's us done.'"
Billy had been married and divorced before, something he didn't want to happen again outside of the pods, noting that his split from Ashleigh was the "hardest" break-up he has done because he "genuinely cared for her so much and I still do".
Love Is Blind UK seasons 1 and 2 are available to watch on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Add Love Is Blind UK to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
