Stephen Richardson of Love Is Blind is speaking candidly about the aftermath of his recent controversy, which led to his split from fiancée Monica Davis. In the latest episodes of Netflix’s popular reality series, viewers were stunned to learn that Stephen, 34, engaged in inappropriate texting with another woman while participating in a sleep test, despite being engaged to Monica, 37.
The emotional confrontation aired in episode eight, where Stephen, after admitting to similar behavior in a past relationship, faced Monica’s heartbreak over his betrayal. “I can’t do anything to change this; I will live with this,” he stated before departing their shared apartment. “I truly am sorry for hurting you, for wasting your time, for coming on the show and doing this to you. I shouldn’t have come on the show.”
In a conversation with PEOPLE, Stephen humorously reflected on the incident, saying, “It is probably smart to put a password on your phone.” He emphasized the importance of self-reflection and ongoing therapy, stating, “You don’t know if you’re fully healed until your next relationship.”
Stephen further elaborated on the significance of therapy, suggesting it should be a continuous journey rather than a completed task. “There are traumas that might have affected you that were never a problem until your thirties or forties,” he noted. “I need to do something to fix it. And that’s essentially what this whole year for me has been.”
During their confrontation, Stephen admitted to his mistakes, acknowledging, “I made a completely stupid mistake while being drunk at a sleep test with somebody who texted me.” However, Monica was not ready to accept his apology, accusing him of continuing to send “disgusting” messages the following day.
“You were gonna shake my dad’s hand this weekend? While you were planning on cheating? I don’t understand,” she exclaimed, requesting Stephen reimburse her for expenses incurred during their time together.
Now that the couple has parted ways, Stephen is determined to use this experience as a lesson for future relationships. He shared, “When you take everything else away from the world and it’s just you and an individual, it does truly only take 10 days to fall in love with someone.” He confidently declared his feelings for Monica, stating, “I can confidently say no matter what, as a cynic that I fell in love with Monica within 10 days.”
Reflecting on the nature of relationships, he encouraged embracing genuine feelings rather than adhering to societal expectations. “Why don’t you just do what feels good and stop worrying about everything else?” he urged.
Stephen and Monica’s breakup marks the second engagement fallout of season 7, following Leo and Brittany’s earlier split, which was not documented by producers.
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