Why Love Is Blind Italy newlyweds Karen and Nicola separate less than a week after their wedding? Details explored

Love Is Blind: Italy has seen one of its shortest marriages come to an end, after contestants Karen Norman and Nicola Botticini confirmed they separated just days after their televised wedding.

The pair shared the update during the show’s reunion episode, which aired on Netflix.

Karen and Nicola met during the first season of the Italian version of the dating show, where singles form connections without seeing each other. They were among the few couples who chose to marry at the end of the experiment.

At the time, both acknowledged concerns about distance and communication but decided to continue the relationship.

During the reunion, hosts Fabio Caressa and Benedetta Parodi revealed that the marriage was never legally finalised because the required documents were missing.

This meant the wedding shown on screen did not result in a valid legal marriage, despite the show’s format usually involving binding ceremonies.

The couple explained that they separated shortly after the wedding when they returned to their respective cities, Karen to Rome and Nicola to Milan. Both spoke openly about what happened next, including a disagreement linked to travel plans and money.

While the relationship ended, both said they still cared for each other and discussed whether they could remain part of each other’s lives in the future.

What did Karen say about the breakup in Love Is Blind: Italy reunion

Karen explained that problems began soon after the wedding when the couple were no longer together in the same place.

She said the distance between Rome and Milan made communication harder and tensions rose while they were arranging time to see each other again.

She told the hosts,

“Unfortunately, once the wedding was over, he was in Milan and I was in Rome and we had to somehow bridge these distances.”

Karen described booking a hotel for Nicola in Rome, despite his asking her not to worry about it. She said this led to an argument that became more serious than she expected.

Karen said:

“This argument arose over an issue… and then, from there, a truly nasty argument came up in which he said some very, very mean things.”

She explained that she waited for an apology that never came. “I expected at least a call to apologise,” she said, adding that without that, the relationship ended for her.

Karen also shared that she had spoken to her son about Nicola and had believed in the relationship at the time. She said the door to restarting the relationship is now closed, although she confirmed she still has feelings for him and wants to keep him in her life in some form.

Nicola’s response at the Love Is Blind: Italy reunion

Nicola accepted responsibility for how he handled the situation and said he misunderstood the issue around money. He told the reunion audience that he regretted his words and the lack of an apology at the time.

He said:

“I regret not apologising to her when I should have, and also for using strong, harsh words.”

Nicola added that his comments did not reflect how he truly felt about Karen. “I didn’t mean any of the words that I said… You really are an amazing woman. I really feel like an idiot,” he said.

Nicola also told the hosts that he still loves Karen and believes he has learned from the experience. “I feel like I’ve understood my mistakes and I want to try to win her back,” he said, while acknowledging that the decision is not his to make.

In response, Karen said she wants Nicola to remain part of her life but was clear that the nature of their relationship is uncertain. “In what way, we don’t know,” she said. The reunion ended without confirmation of a reconciliation, leaving their future unresolved.

Stay tuned for more updates.