Love Is Blind UK season three star Ciara Murphy has addressed the backlash over her dating standards, clarifying that the £15,000 first date was a one-time occurrence and that her £300 minimum spend applies only to first dates.
The 29-year-old Pilates instructor sparked online debate after appearing on the Netflix dating show, which sees singles blind dating in hopes of finding love without relying on physical attraction. Once they are ready to commit, the couples get engaged and go on to tackle various relationship milestones like living together and meeting each other's loved ones.
Ciara was among this season's 30 contestants, and she ultimately married Ajay Cheema in the newly-released series finale. Although she successfully left the show with a husband, Ciara's TV stint has also attracted backlash.
Viewers divided over dating expectations
Viewers at home have been left divided by the star's dating expectations, particularly how much money she expects her suitors to splash on their dates. In the season three premiere, Ciara explained she has a £300 minimum spend for dates. She also revealed that a man once spent £15,000 on a first date with her.
Her comments sparked debate online as some viewers argued Ciara's expectations were "shallow," while others applauded her "high" standards.
Ciara explains her standards
The Netflix star has now addressed the backlash, explaining that she used to have "very low" expectations of her romantic partners.
Ciara told Tudum: "What I have said is quite bold, and I think people are going to pick out certain parts of that and run with it. To be clear, the £15,000 date was a one-time thing, and I would never ask anyone to spend that amount on me. And the £300 minimum spend is for the first date, not every date, not every day."
She went on to add: "A key piece of context is that I set my standards high because they used to be very low. I would invest so much time into these men — as in time, love, money — and receive nothing back. So I was like, 'OK, something’s not working. What can I do?'"
Ciara decided to make a change by making sure her dates "invested" in her. "If somebody wants to actually spend time with me, literally invest time in me," she continued. "And I spend a lot of time getting ready for these dates, so why shouldn’t they take the time to plan and pay for that first date?"
But that doesn't mean she "pulls out a card machine and asks for a 'deposit'" during her dates. She simply has high expectations.
Ciara's final message
Ciara concluded: "I think girls should have their version of that — like, ask for flowers every week or expect to get picked up on the first date. I don’t think these standards are unreasonable. There will truly be men out there who will do that if they want to."
Love is Blind UK season three is streaming now on Netflix.
