Jasmine and Bobby Johnson met, fell in love and got married on Netflix's Love is Blind UK. Now the pair are opening up about their journey to conceive in the hopes it could help others feel less alone, and to shed a light on the struggles of going through it publicly.
'In the beginning, we were very naive,' Jasmine tells Grazia. '[I thought] I was going to get pregnant as soon as we had sex. Obviously, that's not the case.'
After getting a doctor's check and making sure there wasn't any medical hurdles for them, Jasmine went on to taking ovulation sticks and tests to have a guide. But she's trying to balance this newfound approach without putting too much pressure on herself or Bobby, so the process doesn't become a chore. They've been trying to conceive for a few months now.
It's been a 'rollercoaster', says Bobby. 'You think you've got your timing right, and then you get excited before you get to the point of doing your test, and then it's a bit disappointing, isn't it, when you find out, "Oh, you know, not, not this time", but that's all part of the process.'
Navigating this journey has been challenging, but it's been made trickier because fans and followers have been asking for updates at the same time.
'We're guilty as well, because we've always been quite open about the fact that we do want to have kids, even when we met in the pods,' says Bobby. 'We did make that public.' He went on to say that while they can't 'really be mad' at people asking, it's still hard to experience.
'I think the difficult thing for Jasmine is if people comment on your photos and they're like, "oh, I can see the bump", or "you're pregnant, I can tell it". Things like that – it's quite insensitive sometimes.'
Jasmine recalls a holiday in November where quite a few followers commented on her post. 'People were asking, "oh my gosh, I can see the bump", when, in reality, I just have a normal body, and I enjoy food. I love eating. Eating is life for me. And unfortunately, I don't have a six pack. And so does majority of the population, unfortunately, but I'm very happy with my body.'
But the reality is, since sharing they want to have children on Love Is Blind UK, Jasmine has been really careful in what she shares online. 'At first I was very defensive about it. I kind of posted it on my story, "you know, guys, it's rude – don't say things like that". But now I've learned just to block it out, because the more I consume that energy, the more negativity comes inside me. And if I want a baby to live in a safe space in my body, then I need to be in a positive mindset. So I'm blocking all that out.'
Fighting off that external and internal pressure is paramount for Jasmine. She's learning to stay present, even during the harder moments.
'Having a partner there to support you, oh my gosh, it's a blessing. A lot of people don't get that privilege to go through their pregnancy journey with a supportive partner. It's not going to happen tomorrow, but it will happen when the time is right,' she says.