You probably don’t remember seeing much of Jake Singleton-Hill on your screen. That’s the thing about Love Is Blind UK. With thirty singles shoved into a high-pressure dating experiment, someone always ends up on the cutting room floor. Jake was one of those people. He was there, he dated, and he even got engaged, but unless you were scouring the background of the guys' living quarters, you might’ve missed him entirely.
Then the reunion happened.
Suddenly, everyone was talking about Jake Love Is Blind UK because he wasn't just a forgotten face anymore. He was the guy who ended up with Catherine Richards, the dental nurse who had a famously rocky ride with Freddie Powell. It’s the kind of plot twist that makes you realize the "real" show often starts once the cameras stop rolling.
Who is Jake Singleton-Hill anyway?
Jake is a 32-year-old civil engineer from Leicestershire. Honestly, he seems like a pretty grounded guy compared to some of the chaos we usually see in the pods. Before he signed up for the show, he’d been through a lot. He lost his mum recently and had come out of a serious relationship, which usually means one of two things in reality TV: either you're a mess or you're genuinely ready to settle down. Jake claimed to be the latter.
His friends call him the "agony uncle." He’s that guy who listens to everyone else's problems and gives out advice, even if his own love life is a work in progress. He’s also self-proclaimed "soppy." He falls fast. He falls hard. That’s a dangerous trait to have in a show where you’re supposed to get engaged in ten days, but it explains a lot about what happened after the show.
He likes the gym. He likes Ibiza. He has a dog that he is incredibly attached to. That last part is actually pretty important, considering how things played out with Cat.
The engagement we never saw
Here’s the part that catches people off guard. Jake actually got engaged in the pods.
Netflix doesn't show every couple. They usually pick the five or six with the most drama or the most "perfect" storylines to follow to the retreat and the altar. Jake got down on one knee for a woman named Ella. But, for whatever reason—maybe they weren't "televisual" enough or the producers just didn't have the budget for another couple in Greece—their journey wasn't filmed past the engagement.
It didn't last.
According to later reports and TikToks from Ella herself, the relationship fizzled out quickly once they hit the real world. Ella has been pretty vocal about feeling "ghosted" by Jake after the experiment. She’s mentioned that the process was serious for her, but she wasn't sure if Jake felt the same way. It’s a messy side of the story that we never would have known about if social media didn't exist.
How Jake and Catherine actually happened
While Jake was dealing with the fallout of his untelevised engagement, Catherine was on our screens dealing with Freddie. We all saw how that ended. Freddie said "I do not" at the altar, citing concerns about their lifestyle differences and his sister’s protective nature.
So, how did Jake Love Is Blind UK enter the picture?
Cat actually reached out to him. She had heard his name mentioned in the girls' lounge while they were filming, even though she was focused on Freddie and Ollie at the time. After the show finished airing and the "two weeks later" period of her breakup with Freddie passed, she saw Jake on social media and decided to "check in."
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They FaceTimed.
For five hours.
The first night.
It’s one of those classic "when you know, you know" situations that reality TV loves to preach but rarely produces. They spoke every day for five weeks before she finally went to visit him. Now? They live together. They even have the dog.
The "Boujee" lifestyle and moving in
One of the big sticking points between Cat and Freddie was the "boujee" lifestyle. Cat liked nice things, fancy restaurants, and a certain vibe that Freddie, a funeral director who lived a more quiet life, didn't necessarily prioritize.
Jake seems to be more on Cat’s wavelength. If you look at his Instagram, he’s often dressed up, heading to events, or traveling. They seem to match in terms of what they want out of their social lives. It’s a reminder that compatibility isn't just about "loving" someone; it's about whether your Tuesdays and Saturdays actually look the same.
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Why his edit (or lack thereof) matters
The fact that Jake was edited out almost entirely says a lot about how these shows are made. You can find "the one" and still be "boring" for TV. Or, you can have a "rough journey" (as Cat described Jake's time in the pods) that doesn't fit the narrative the producers want to tell.
Cat mentioned on the Bailiwick Express podcast that Jake was treated somewhat poorly or had a "rollercoaster of emotions" during filming. Because we didn't see it, we only have her word to go on, but it suggests that the pods are a lot more stressful than the edited forty-minute episodes lead us to believe.
Navigating the post-show drama
Being the "secret" boyfriend of a major reality star isn't easy. Jake had to keep his relationship with Cat under wraps for nearly a year while the show was being edited and prepared for release. By the time they went Instagram official in August 2024, they had already celebrated their one-year anniversary.
Think about that. While we were watching Cat cry over Freddie on Netflix, she was actually at home with Jake.
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Actionable takeaways from Jake's journey
If you're following the Love Is Blind universe or just curious about how these things work in the real world, there are a few things to learn from Jake and Cat:
- The "Edit" is real: Just because someone isn't on screen doesn't mean they didn't have a significant impact on the other contestants.
- Off-camera connections often last longer: Without the pressure of a wedding deadline and a camera crew in your face, couples like Jake and Cat can build a foundation at their own pace.
- DMing works: Sometimes, reaching out to someone you had a "missed connection" with can lead to a long-term relationship.
- Check the dog situation early: If you're a dog person like Jake, finding a partner who embraces your pet is a non-negotiable for living together.
Jake Singleton-Hill might have started as a background character, but he ended up with one of the most stable relationships to come out of the first UK season. It just goes to show that sometimes, the best way to win a reality show is to stay off it as much as possible.
To keep up with them, you can find Jake on Instagram at @jake.shill, where he mostly posts about fitness, his travels, and his life with Cat. It’s a much more "normal" look at a reality TV participant than what we usually get.