Love Is Blind: UK finale spoilers follow.
Love Is Blind: UK star Ryan Roberts has addressed his mango moment with partner Cuba Riggs in the latest season’s finale. In the episode released this week, the couple didn’t make it to the altar, following a chat in which Cuba explained how she felt alone in the relationship, ultimately breaking things off.
However, the moment has become notable due to Ryan awkwardly offering Cuba some mango after the break-up, before he was seen eating some himself – with fans reacting online.
Related: Best streaming services
The contestant has now taken to social media to address the moment, claiming that “people create their whole view and perception of every cast member based off what they see”.
“Obviously it’s the day the experiment finished for Cuba and I, and a long conversation, and the whole day is condensed down into such a short, sharp focus on fruit,” he said on Instagram, adding that there were “a couple of things I’d like to say”.
“I want to say first of all that it must’ve been super hard for Cuba to have had me away for so much of the experiment,” he continued, before saying he had work obligations and a family bereavement off screen that affected him, meaning he had to take some time away from filming.
“You can’t help those timings. So it was a very sticky situation to be in for both of us, and it wasn’t fair on something that was hard to watch back,” Ryan explained.
Netflix
He told his followers that what made it to the screen was “less than one per cent” of the footage filmed. Ryan then reasoned that “when you have other stresses and pressures external of the experiment, it’s tough”.
“I knew something’s not right, I think anyone can agree as you’re getting closer to the day of your wedding, you should be getting more and more and more excited, and not feeling more and more and more resistant when it’s hard to figure out why,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the nature of human experiments is that some of them work and some of them don’t. For our relationship, it clearly didn’t. It is true that I did leave and I did what was right by how I was feeling.”
Ryan went on: “I appreciated that is very tough at the time, and afterwards for Cuba as well. But you have to honour what’s going on for yourself and your circumstances at the same time, and your obligations.”
Netflix
The public speaker and entrepreneur suggested it was “a shame as there were so many beautiful parts of our relationship that they never showed, and that doesn’t make the cut”.
“That’s quite an interesting thing, because people create their whole view and perception of every cast member based off what they see, and that is designed to elicit certain emotions and feelings in people to keep them engaged,” he said.
“I actually find that part quite fascinating and scary at the same time. So I think that part’s a shame, but there we go.”
Digital Spy has reached out to Netflix for comment.
For her part, Cuba has addressed the moment by sharing a lighthearted post on Instagram. “Probably should have let that Man-Go earlier,” she wrote in the caption.
Speaking further to the Radio Times, she said that the split “was really hard” and “difficult” as the pair had said they “loved each other”.
“There was loads of talks of the future, and it was a bit of a shock, but also something that I was realising as well,” Cuba told the outlet.
“Even though I could feel him pulling away, we had these conversations of, ‘Okay, if it’s gonna end, we’ll talk about it’. And then it was just kind of blindsided when we actually did end. And then it was really hard for me because I genuinely believed we were gonna get married or I was gonna get married.”
Love Is Blind: UK airs on Netflix.
Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.
The new edition of Legends, a 100-page all-colour celebration of Ariana Grande, is here! Buy Ariana Grande in newsagents or online.
Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ as a sub-editor.