She’s made an impression on the debut series ofLove Is Blind UK, in her search for true love. After being embroiled in a love triangle with fellow contestant Natasha, Maria Benkh appeared to find her fairytale ending with Tom Stroud.
With the final episodes on Netflix now and the Reunion show following on 26 August, we give you the lowdown on Maria.
How old is Maria?
Maria is 31.
What ethnicity is Maria?
Maria is Moroccan and comes from a religious Moroccan community. She is of Muslim faith, which she said is important to her, and would like her husband to be a traditional ‘provider’.
What is Maria’s job?
Maria is a make-up artist and lash technician from Southampton, which her fiancé, PR and advertising consultant Tom Stroud had issues with. ‘I find it bizarre, that people might judge me based on what I do for work and build up a picture about me. I think that’s really stupid,’ she said. Tom responded, ‘I was a little bit judgemental when I first heard what you did. I can be a bit judgy at times,’ before explaining that ambition is one of his values.
What is Maria’s Instagram?
Maria’s Instagram handle is @mariabenkh, where she shares photos of her loved ones and holidays.
Why is Maria on Love Is Blind UK?
Maria said she is hoping for a traditional relationship and is looking for a man who can protect and care for her. The loss of her dad, who died in 2020, hit her hard – she revealed that losing her ‘role model’ has been the biggest personal challenge she has had to face so far.
Who did Maria connect with?
Maria sparked with both Ollie Sutherland and Tom Stroud, but ultimately broke things off with Ollie to pursue her relationship with 38-year-old Tom. ‘My other strongest connection was with Ollie. We dated pretty much right up until the end, and then realised that we had stronger connections with other people,’ she shared. There are no bad feelings between her and Ollie, who got engaged to Demi. ‘He’s a really good friend of mine. We speak all the time and I’m very grateful that I met him as well,’ she said.
Are Tom Stroud and Maria Benkh still together?
Despite their different backgrounds, Maria and Tom bonded with their shared silly sense of humour – in spite of his bond with Natasha. They also connected over the loss of their fathers – Maria’s beloved ‘role model’ dad died in 2020 while Tom’s father abandoned him at an early age.
In emotional scenes, Tom revealed why he chose Maria over Natasha, telling her, ‘I genuinely feel like I’m most myself with you.’ The feelings were mutual. ‘Tom, I have never pictured my life with someone until I met you. I have never felt like this with anyone,’ she said. ‘You are absolutely amazing, I have never felt so sure about anyone.’
Tom and Maria got along really well in Corfu, with their physical and emotional bonds strengthening during the trip. However, their relationship came under pressure when he admitted that he was ‘a bit judgey’ about Maria’s job.
Money issues also came up a few times: they had an argument over money when Maria wanted Tom to pay for breakfast, believing that guys should pay for everything in the initial courting phase, and then when Maria revealed that they had problems talking about money and that she didn’t want to pay half of Tom’s mortgage.
As their big day approached, the couple seemed to have resolved their issues as they looked more loved up than ever. ‘I am really lucky. I see your beauty and every part of you. I do feel like we are closer to marriage now than we ever have been,’ Tom told Maria. ‘You’ve been an amazing match for me. There’s absolutely no doubt about that.’
Are Maria and Tom married?
Despite their love for each other, Tom said, ‘I don’t’ before walking out on Maria at the altar, as he revealed to harbouring reservations about their relationship. 'I love you. I just feel like right now is not the right time for me,' he said. ‘We’ve had some differences in values and I haven’t had enough time to really understand how those differences will affect our life day-to-day.’
A shocked Maria said, ‘I absolutely can’t believe this. I wanted to get married. I wanted to be a wife. I feel incredibly sad that I didn’t get the ending that I always sort of pictured for myself. But I know it probably wasn’t the right time for both of us.’
‘The hardest part is the unnatural environment of it. There are so many fun parts and it’s such a great experience but… sometimes it can feel quite pressurised,’ Maria shared. ‘Marriage is bloody important and life-changing so feeling the pressure can be quite overwhelming.’
Tom and Maria still follow each other on Instagram, so while they haven't found their happy ever after with each other, they have, at least, remained friends.