The moment Deepti Vempati said the words, 'I’m choosing myself and I’m going to say no,' to ex-fiancé Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee at the altar - we all knew an icon was born. Deepti has quickly become the breakout star of Love Is Blind, where contestants fall in love 'sight unseen' and get hitched. Deepti choosing herself in that moment has inspired many women and reminded us about the importance of self-love. We have all been involved with a ‘Shake’ in our lifetime, a man who has zero respect for women, and we are all better off without them.
Shake has received a lot of backlash for his attitude towards women on the show and picking them apart physically. Deepti explains the effects of his words, 'The part that was disrespectful and hurtful was the way he was talking about me behind my back. He was very kind to my face but would degrade me behind my back to everyone.'
After standing firmly by his hurtful comments towards Deepti on the show, Shake recently took to Instagram to apologise. He posted a video message saying, 'Deepti, I am truly sorry for some of the things that I said. Things that honestly just could have been left unsaid or could have been said differently. Things that never should have been on national television.'
Deepti admits that she didn’t accept his apology. ‘My mindset is, it's a little too late. If he was authentic about the apology or he genuinely felt sorry about what he did - he would have reached out to me when the first set of episodes dropped.' She believes that Shake only apologised to save his reputation, ‘There has been so much backlash for him so, I just feel like it was a forced apology to save face. It didn’t seem authentic, which is why I didn't respond.’
Did she have a feeling Shake would say no at the altar? She admits that she saw some signs. ‘We weren't physically intimate so, in the back of my mind I thought maybe Shake is never going to get there. There were some moments, where he would backtrack and say, '“You check every box and you're helping me grow as a person."' While she had some hope, by the end Deepti was expecting a no.
However, Deepti was still going back and forth on her decision. She says it wasn’t until a few days before the wedding, on their massage date, when she had an epiphany. ‘In that moment, I just, I took a step back, and I was like, what am I doing? Why do I feel like I’m forcing someone into this? She started questioning everything after that, 'Is he even somebody that I want as a husband? Some of his characteristics were not things that I was looking for in a partner at all. I knew I just couldn't do it.'
Who could forget the explosive Love Is Blind reunion? It was chaotic and even hosts Vanessa and Nick Lachey came to Deepti’s defence. 'I didn't expect that! I think their reaction was because Shake was really hitting a nerve with all of us.' She continues, 'It was easy for everyone to rally behind me and protect themselves. Shake was intervening in places that he didn't need to speak. He had no right to judge anyone else when he's not perfect.'
Another behind the scenes secret was uncovered at the reunion. Fans of the show were shocked to hear of Kyle Abrams romantic feelings towards Deepti. According to Deepti, Love Is Blind didn't air that they grew very close in the pods. She says, 'Kyle was my number two person, I was really on the fence.' The pair have also been spotted out and about since the show wrapped, but is she open to dating him? She admits, 'Kyle and I – honestly, we will see where it goes. We already have that connection and we’ve built the foundation. He’s really been there for me and has been my biggest support system.'
Although she didn’t get her happily ever after this time, Deepti confirms that she hasn’t given up on love. 'I'm looking for my soulmate - if he's out there, somewhere. I'm very happy and content being independent and working on myself. But I am still looking for my person, I still want to get married and have kids one day.’
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