Love Is Blind: UK’s Sam knows exactly what you think about him. Yes, he’s seen the tweets and TikToks reacting to his controversial love story — suffice it to say, the message has come through loud and clear. 

“I'm the type of guy who’s so harmless, but the public has perceived me as this villain and walking red flag,” he tells Tudum just days after reuniting with his Season 1 castmates. The London-based product design manager’s appearance on Love Is Blind: UK has provoked strong reactions among fans and his fellow pod squad members alike, mainly due to his divisive remarks in the pods and his bumpy, brief engagement to ex-fiancée Nicole.

Sam continues to maintain that his intentions for joining the experiment were pure and has been unfairly judged, refusing to accept any of the labels the public has thrust upon him. “The last few weeks have not been easy,” he says. “The reception has been the hardest thing ever because my family and friends know who I am. They actually call me the BFG — the Big Friendly Giant.”

Below, the  Love Is Blind: UK star reflects on how he’s grown from the experience, what exactly happened with Nicole when cameras went down post-proposal, and where he stands with the rest of the pod squad today.

Let’s start from the beginning of your Love Is Blind: UK journey. Why did you think that this experiment was the right fit for you? 

The way I've always seen it is that 75% of my life — family, friends, and work —  is really good, but there’s always been this missing segment when it comes to love. Between being on dating apps and having two failed relationships, I've just really struggled to meet the girl of my dreams. I am someone who's very passionate about love. I love rom-coms. I'm a big believer in all that lovey-dovey stuff. I look at my parents and I want that. I'm ready for that next stage of my life.

It's really difficult to date in London. Dating apps are very judgmental. It's so easy just to swipe and no one really knows who you actually are. It's all about perception. So when the show approached me, I was like, ‘Well, have I got anything to lose? It's not working in the real world, so why not do an amazing experiment and give it a go?’ But looking back, maybe I wasn't quite ready at the time. 

Why don’t you think you were ready? 

I don’t think I was in the right position to do the experiment. In my most recent relationship, I really loved that person a lot and it took a lot out of me. It was one of the hardest days of my life when she left me. Eight months after the relationship give or take, the show opportunity came up. Maybe it was just a bit too soon. But you're never ready for anything in life, so sometimes you have to take a leap of faith, right?

I’m also always doubting myself and putting other people first. I'm very open about my insecurities and I think it's something that men should talk about more. I'm actually proud of myself [that I shared] my insecurities about the way I look, my appearance, and that I've done things to enhance myself. I've done it because it's made me feel better.

What was it about Nicole that originally made you want to get down on one knee? 

She's an incredible person and I had an amazing connection with her in the pods. Nicole was a very different person to someone I would normally go for, but I wanted to be open to the idea. The conversations we were having were on a much deeper level. It was this really amazing feeling to have never even seen this person, but feel comfortable talking to a wall and being myself. That's really what it was.

Unfortunately, when it got to the proposal in person, the magic of the pods wasn't quite there. I think you can see when we first met each other. It was very awkward. We're just human beings. I can't magically make something happen that's just not there. But I was willing to propose and go this journey just to see because [the experiment] is supposed to go all the way from the pods to the yes or no at the altar. Maybe I wasn't quite ready at that point, but we still had the rest of the journey to go on together to see.

What happened during the period audiences didn’t see after the reveal?. What broke down between you two off-camera?

I've now met someone and obviously the proposal was a little bit awkward, so it’s like, ‘Okay, where do we go from here? We tried to make it work off camera. Nicole came to stay at my place for a couple of days, and I knew ultimately it wasn't quite there. The connection was just off and I think she felt the same. But we were just super friendly. We had a cheeky Nando's together. We just did things that you would do as a couple.

I was super respectful, but ultimately after two days of trying to see if it would work, it just wasn't there. There was just no spark. I couldn’t force it, nor could she. At the end of the day, at least we were honest with each other and we said, ‘Look, it's not happening.’  We both agreed that she would go home and we'd take a bit of time to digest everything. It was a lot emotionally and mentally. 

The next time we see you together is at group drinks later in the season. What was your mindset going into that evening?

I had no idea about the things that were being said about me. I did find out that Benaiah and Nicole had gotten together and I had no bad feelings whatsoever. I actually told production, ‘That's amazing. If I played a part in them becoming future husband and wife, then I'm happy about that.’ But when I walked into the mixer, I could feel a lot of tension. I tried to compose myself and get through it. I'm just human and was just going in with the best intentions. It was unfair because I hadn't really had a chance to speak to people and say, ‘Look, I'm just an honest, solid guy. You don't really know who I am.’

When I heard that Benaiah wanted to speak to me, I actually thought he was going to come out and say, ‘Hey, dude, no hard feelings. Let's just hug it out.’ Unfortunately, it became quite a heated conversation. We only saw a little snippet of it. He got me quite emotionally upset, and that's when I made that comment [about Nicole]. It was just coming from a place of trying to say, ‘Dude, I was respecting her. I didn’t rush things with Nicole because I knew it wasn't quite right.’ The conversation didn't quite go to plan, and unfortunately we had to agree to disagree. But from where I stand right now, I wish them nothing but the best. There's no bad blood from my side. 

What exactly were you trying to express with the comment about physical intimacy with Nicole? 

I was just trying to explain that I didn't sleep with her. I didn't just use her and then just walk away. I was super respectful to Nicole and it's all gone unnoticed. I’ve actually done nothing wrong. She stayed at mine, spoke to my father and I met her sister. Everything was normal. We just didn't have a connection. Why is that being held against me like I'm a criminal?

Let’s fast forward  to the reunion. How did you hope it would play out?

It was just another chance for me to explain my side of things. I'm super grateful for the opportunity to share the stage with all these amazing people. I really wanted to put everything to bed with Nicole and Ben like I tried to do that night at the mixer. Yes, it didn't work out between me and Nicole, but I shouldn't be held to ransom for that. It is just something that I can't help. Of course, in my ideal world, it would've worked out and we’d be happily married and riding off into the sunset with a kid now. But unfortunately, that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

I wasn't going to come in and blame the edit. It wasn't that. I just want to show people who Sam is, who I am. You know, I've never been in trouble in my life. I've never been in a fight in my life. I'm just the guy that puts other people first. I'm the father figure to my team at work. It's just such a shame that my family and friends had to see some of the stuff that they've read about me.

Tom Dymond/Netflix

Do you feel like were you successful in communicating your feelings to the rest of the group? 

When people have an opinion about someone, it's very hard to change them. What the reunion allowed me to do was just get things off my chest. It might not have landed deep down to anyone else on that stage, but for me it was a good chance for me to say my piece. Now I can close that door. I just wish deep down it went differently and I was best friends with them all now because I would've loved that. Unfortunately that wasn't meant to be. It was still a very tough night emotionally, of course, because it brought back a lot of memories.

Tom Dymond/Netflix

Some of the cast weren't satisfied totally about how you acknowledged things. Did anything they say resonate or hit home for you? 

If I offended anyone, I apologize. That was not my intention. I said things out of nerves. That's all it was. It's nothing deeper than that. I didn't physically hurt anyone. It was just a few things that came out the wrong way and have been misunderstood. I'm just a harmless guy. Whether or not it's given them a change of heart or change of mind to who I am, you can't control the people's emotions or thoughts. But like I said, it's just given me that side of peace.

Are you single? Dating? What’s your current relationship status? 

I'm on my healing journey right now, so when I do meet the right person, the love of my life, which I hope does happen, I can be the best version of myself. I'm in no rush to find someone. I'm just going to take a little bit of time for myself and be surrounded by my friends, family, and work colleagues. When the time feels right, I will then start to open up a little bit more. In terms of dating apps, I'm not so sure you'll ever see Sam from London on those again.

How do you feel like this experiment has shaped your current outlook on love and dating?

Now I feel like nothing can  break me. [The experience] has made me so much stronger as a person. I’m much more open to the idea of dating people that I wouldn't necessarily be attracted to at first glance. We live in a world where people care about the way people look so much. Now I actually want dating to be more organic. I want people to know the real me, and whenever I do fall in love, it will be more about an actual deep connection. You can actually have the most incredible relationship with someone off the basis of them being your best friend. That's all I want. I just want a best friend and someone to live the rest of my life with. 

Tom Dymond/Netflix

Is there anything else you want to address about your journey this season? 

One of the most important things I've learned as well in the last two weeks is to speak up. If you're going through any hard emotions, please talk. I'm hoping now I can be an example to other men out there who do go through anything similar. Hopefully, people know who the real Sam is, so that's all my mission is now.

Want to hear more from Sam? Check out his interview on the official Love Is Blind: UK podcast below.