While Love Is Blind star Chelsea Blackwell’s engagement to Jimmy Presnell wasn’t meant to be, she reveals that they’re still close during an exclusive interview with Life & Style.
“We are neighbors, which is so silly. We live right next to each other, which is crazy,” Chelsea, 31, tells Life & Style about their two apartment buildings in Charlotte, North Carolina, while discussing her partnership with Flash Pack. “We’re good friends. He calls me for advice. I call him for advice.”
Chelsea adds that she and Jimmy, 28, “have a very mutual friendship,” and they supported each other when the show premiered in February. ”We were in this traumatic experience together, and so we really have been leaning on each other during the whole show and after,” the Netflix personality says. “So we’re in a really good spot right now.”
She then shares that living close to her ex isn’t always easy, because he will often want to hang out. “He’ll call me and be like, ‘Do you want to go on a walk?’ I’m like, ‘Leave me alone,’” Chelsea jokingly says.
Fans watched Chelsea and Jimmy create a close bond while in the pods during season 6, though their romance became more complicated once they started living in the real world. After they had several arguments, the pair chose to call off their engagement before their wedding.
Chelsea previously revealed to Entertainment Weekly that they “tried to date for days after” filming ended, though “it just didn’t work out.”
After things didn’t work out romantically with Jimmy, Chelsea reveals that her current dating life is “so weird” and “not ideal.”
“Dating’s crusty, it’s dusty, especially in Charlotte,” she admits. “I know a lot more about myself than I did before going on to the show. This has really challenged me. So I know what I’m looking for as a person and what I’m looking for in a person way more than I did think I knew when I went for the show.”
Despite not currently having a romantic interest in her life, Chelsea explains to Life & Style that she has been busy focusing on traveling. She adds that her adventures have become even more exciting since she partnered with Flash Pack to encourage other women to join her in her solo travel adventures.
“Traveling is my main focus right now. And really being a voice for women who are nervous to do the solo traveling,” Chelsea tells Life & Style. “My main priority right now is reaching out and being a voice to women to give them the strength to want to explore the world.”
Through her partnership with Flash Pack, Chelsea wants to encourage women to travel that may believe it’s not “feasible for them” right now. “My main focus is showing people you can see the world. You don’t have to have a lot of money. You don’t have to have a lot of time,” Chelsea explains. “You don’t have to even know anyone. You’re going to go, you’re going to explore this world and it’s going to be amazing.”