Love Is Blind star Jessica Vestal addresses debate about dating as single mother after breakup

‘I felt like I needed to give the men time and space to get to know other things about me before bringing that into the conversation,’ reality star says

Love Is Blind season six star Jessica Vestal has addressed how she sparked a debate about dating as a single mother, following her split from her strongest connection, Jimmy Presnell.

Warning: Spoiler for Love Is Blind season six below.

The North Carolina-based executive assistant participated in season six of the show, where singles went on a series of dates without ever seeing each other, before getting engaged. During the season, Presnell was in a love triangle with Vestal and another contestant, Chelsea Blackwell.

In the first episode, Vestal first revealed to Presnell that she had a 10-year-old daughter, Autumn, which he said wasn’t a “dealbreaker” for him. However, after a series of dates in the pods, Presnall opted to get engaged to Blackwell, prompting a debate on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he broke up with Vestal because she had a child. In addition, viewers have criticised Vestal for not disclosing right away that she had a daughter, with others questioning if single mothers should tell people about their children on first dates.

Vestal, who was the first single mother to appear on Love Is Blind, has now addressed the debate, noting that she is proud of how she handled her relationship with Presnell. She also specified that she has “no regrets” about waiting to tell her dates that she’s a mother.

“I really wanted to, like I said (on the show), give someone the opportunity to get to know me first and not lead with the fact that I’m a mother,” she said. “Because although that is the most important part of who I am, it doesn’t define me.”

She also noted that she didn’t tell her dates about her daughter at first for their own sake, adding: “I felt like I needed to give the men time and space to get to know other things about me before bringing that into the conversation.”

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Vestal also acknowledged that regardless of how things ended, she doesn’t think that her daughter was the reason why Presnell chose Blackwell instead of her.

“He didn’t give me any indication that that was a dealbreaker for him,” she said. “His initial response wasn’t ideal, but I gave him grace in that situation because I don’t feel like there’s a right or wrong way for someone to receive information like that. I respected that he might need time and space, and I wanted him to have time and space to decide if that’s a dynamic that he wanted to fit into. And if he didn’t want to, that was fine also.”

Her clarifications came after viewers went to X, to question her breakup and if it happened because Presnell found out she was a parent.

“Jimmy knew he wouldn’t choose her when she told him she was a mother,” one claimed, while another responded: “I think so too. So sad, she could have connected with someone else.”

However, other people questioned why Vestal didn’t tell Presnell about her daughter sooner, with one tweeting: “I’m watching Love Is Blind and I’m very curious to know if single moms tell ppl on first dates they have children… because I feel what Jessica did is unfair

During the sixth season of Love Is Blind, Vestal was initially set on her relationship with Presnell, who was torn between her and Blackwell. However, things took a turn when Blackwell told a few women in the house that Presnell told her he loved her. Vestal later discovered how her then-boyfriend was feeling, after contestant Laura Dadisman told her that Presnell was “not [her] man”.

Even though she initially wanted to leave after her conversation with Dadisman, Vestal decided to go on another date with Presnell, where he ended the relationship. After telling her that she’ll be “an amazing wife for someone else,” Vestal criticised her now-ex, with claims that he led her on.

“Yeah it’s really hard for me to feel sorry for you,” she said. “You ruined this opportunity for me. You ruined it. And you should be ashamed of yourself for letting me feel that way. Because you know just like I do, for the right person, I’d never have to wonder if I was too much.”

While expressing that she was “absolutely devastated” after the breakup, she still acknowledged that there “would be something better” out there for her. She finished her speech by noting that she’ll never be someone who “coddles” him, before telling him that he’ll regret breaking up with her.

“When you see and realise what you missed out on, you are going to choke,” she said. “You are going to need your EpiPen to open up your airways because you are going to be in disbelief of what you missed out on.”

The first six episodes of Love Is Blind season six are now streaming on Netflix. The next three episodes will air on 21 February, followed by another three released on 28 February. The season finale, where we find out which couples get married, will air on 6 March.