Spoilers for the Love is Blind: UK finale and reunion ahead. Netflix's reality TV juggernaut Love Is Blind shows how difficult it is for two people who love each other to truly meld their lives. For the first season of Love is Blind: UK, the couple in the cast facing the bulk of this struggle is Freddie Powell and Catherine Richards. The funeral director and the dental nurse seem meant to be when they meet in the pods, but after they get engaged, their different personalities and views on the future present significant road bumps on their one-month journey toward a wedding. Now that the season's over, fans are clamoring for news of whether the pair made it past the altar. Below, read on for everything we know about Catherine and Freddie's relationship and where they stand a year after filming.
What happened between Freddie and Catherine on 'Love is Blind: UK?'
Freddie, a 32-year-old funeral director from Bolton, England, quickly hits it off with Catherine, a 29-year-old dental nurse from Jersey, England, once they meet in the pods. In some ways, it seems they could be meant for each other; Freddie's a devoted sibling to his brother Jack, who has Down syndrome, and Catherine is a swimming coach for children with Down syndrome. There's also a cute moment where they realize their grandparents have the same first names. The pair bond even more as they become vulnerable about their pasts, including Catherine revealing that she was adopted as a baby.
However, Freddie isn't the only person Catherine's talking to in the pods. She also has a flirtation with Londoner Ollie, though they both admit their connection is not as deep as their other bonds. Ollie and Catherine also hit a snag when Ollie low-key judges Catherine's choice in nightclubs, calling them "pretentious."
Eventually, Catherine realizes that she wants to focus on Freddie, and she calls it off with Ollie. (He goes on to become engaged to his other connection, fellow Londoner Demi.)
After they get engaged, both Freddie and Catherine are pleasantly surprised by their attraction to each other. Fast forward to the couples' vacation, which was filmed in Corfu, Greece, and Catherine is the source of a memorable episode titled, "We had sex. Twice!" Still, their blissful getaway is interrupted by a little drama when Catherine hears word that Ollie told the other men that he broke it off with Catherine, and not the other way around. Freddie says that it doesn't matter when their breakup was mutual and they're both now happy with their partners (which is true!), but Catherine is irked enough to want to discuss it with Ollie. She pulls Ollie aside when the couples all gather for the first time in Corfu, and the exes do squash things quite quickly. They also take the opportunity to get a bit flirty, but there are no further Ollie-related issues on Freddie and Catherine's side.
The bigger issue comes up during a date when Catherine admits that she has been looking for reassurance because of her romantic history. Catherine asks if Freddie has ever cheated, and he is honest and admits that it happened once—he later clarifies it was seven years ago—but that he has changed since then. However, Catherine has been cheated on in every one of her past relationships. She admits that she's going to struggle to get past her belief of "once a cheat, always a cheat." The topic even comes up again in the couple's last chat before leaving Greece, and Freddie gets emotional at the chance that Catherine won't be able to trust that he's a changed man.
Once they return to the U.K., it becomes clear that Freddie and Catherine have very different vibes. He's more of a golden-retriever boyfriend, but we see that his jokey ways can annoy Catherine while they're on a shopping trip. Catherine admits that she's getting irritated easily in a testimonial, explaining, "He’s always joking and taking the mick and winding me up. I need him to just be serious because it’s making me feel like his friend, not his fiancée." (That's not to mention his eccentric house, featuring a sparkly silver floor mirror and a significant spider presence.)
In response, Freddie says he feels "misunderstood" by her at times, and wonders if he needs to adjust himself a bit to match her energy. “I think maybe I’m a bit too much for her. Maybe I need to just tone it down a bit," he says in his testimonial.
When the pair meets Freddie's family, it's mostly a lovely afternoon. His mother, father, sister, and brother all adore him, and his mom even teases that Catherine has some competition with all of the older neighborhood ladies who form Freddie's fan club. Freddie also asks his brother Jack to be his best man at the ceremony. However, once his sister Betsy-Dora gets a chance to talk to him alone, she notices that he's more reserved than he usually is. She adds that he still needs to be himself; there's been a narrative so far of Freddie wondering if he's enough for Catherine, but Betsy-Dora turns it around to ask, "Is she good enough for you?" (Also, another Freddie/Catherine episode title.)
As the pre-wedding time continues, Freddie and Catherine's differences pile up. Catherine feels that Freddie isn't affectionate enough; Freddie's concerned that he's never dated a girl who enjoys going out to clubs and "bougie brunches." In a truly wild twist, fellow pod alum Sam happens to be the spitting image of Catherine's ex, and she gets a bit too flirty with him at the pod reunion party. (Sam, who caused drama in Nicole and Benaiah's relationship, of all people.)
Then, at the end of episode 8, the most contentious part of Catherine and Freddie's story comes up when Freddie mentions that he's uncomfortable with the idea of Catherine getting the right to his assets. He wants to get a prenup to ensure that his money goes to his sister if anything happens to him. Prenups are a testy subject for any couple, and Catherine is immediately not going for it. Her friends also back up her view, asking whether this means that he's already thinking about potentially separating down the line. (This doesn't come up in the show, but fans have noted that Freddie could also be thinking of his brother, and being able to contribute to Jack's care in a worse-case scenario.) Viewers don't see Freddie and Catherine resolve the prenup issue by the time they get to the wedding day. (Still an unanswered question following the reunion.)
Did Freddie and Catherine get married on 'Love is Blind: UK'?
The rest of Freddie and Catherine's time before the wedding goes relatively smoothly; the standout moment is when Freddie leaves a sweet handwritten note for Catherine to comfort her on the nights they have to spend alone. He also leaves Catherine a gift on the morning of their wedding: a pair of diamond earrings matching her engagement ring. Ahead of the ceremony, Catherine seems sure of her decision to say yes at the altar; at one point, she even tells her bridesmaids to "manifest" him saying yes.
However, Freddie still has to make a big decision; in a testimonial, he admits that he worries that Catherine is "trying to portray herself as what she thinks he wants in a girl." While speaking to his siblings before the ceremony, Betsy-Dora tells the groom that she can't shake her anxiety today. She says that she worries that Freddie and Catherine are on different pages and that Catherine is "just different" to him, but the sister also tells her brother that his family will support him 100 percent.
When they finally make it down the aisle, Catherine answers first, and she says, "I do." However, Freddie does not reciprocate, explaining that the timing isn't right for them. "This isn’t a goodbye. It’s not a rejection of the love that we share," he says. "There’s still mountains left for us to climb and lessons for us to learn before fully embracing a lifelong commitment. And I do love you Cat, but I just need to be honest to both of us."
In the aftermath, Catherine is mortified and "numb," saying that she feels "really unwanted." Freddie also breaks into tears after walking back up the aisle, but Betsy-Dora comforts him. Even though he said no, Freddie makes it clear to Catherine's parents that he wants to continue the relationship, and hopes that he and Catherine can still live together. Still, Catherine isn't sure where they'll be moving forward, and she tells him it will take a while for her to "bounce back." She later adds in a confessional, "It’s nice to hear he still wants to be with me, but actions speak louder than words right now. I love him, but I don’t know."
Are Freddie and Catherine still together after 'Love is Blind: UK?'
So, did Catherine and Freddie continue dating after that devastating wedding? Short answer: No. At the reunion, the pair confirmed that they are now just friends, and have no regrets from how the wedding panned out. In addition to rehashing their issues ahead of the altar (different lifestyles, Freddie toning his goofiness down), Catherine admitted that she "doesn't disagree" with the advice Betsy-Dora gave ahead of the wedding.
The biggest new update with the pair (besides their friendship) is why Freddie gifted Catherine the earrings on the wedding day. Responding to fan speculation, Freddie explained, "I feel like if I didn’t get the earrings, it would’ve been frowned upon that I didn’t get your present. And if I did get you the earrings, it had been seen as 'he’s misleading her.'"
Still, both Freddie and Catherine agree that they are much better as friends, and Freddie said that he thinks they'll "stay friends probably forever." Meanwhile, Catherine's advice to him was: "Never change because you will make a girl happy."
Before the reunion, Freddie and Catherine hinted at their friendship on Instagram, with fans noticing that they follow each other. The pair also posted on the day of the finale, though noticeably neither mentioned each other; Freddie included solo pre-wedding photos, while Catherine shared an Instagram Story tribute to her five female co-stars. The two posts share a similarity though: They both include a reminder to be kind to everyone involved in the show, with Catherine reminding netizens that "these are real emotions and feelings involved."
