It’s been a little over a month since Season 6 of Netflix’s Love Is Blind wrapped and left fans with their jaws on the floor. The season’s standout couple, Clay Gravesande and Amber Desiree “AD” Smith, made it to the altar, but unfortunately, happily ever after wasn’t in the cards for them. Their whirlwind romance ended when the reality show wrapped.
As rumors swirled around social media about whether the two had reunited, the reality was quite different. “It was hurtful to deal with that, and I was depressed for the first two weeks, then I was good,” Gravesande told Collider in a recent interview. “Then the wedding scene happened, and I was used to looking at my phone and the comments, but then my number got leaked, and I got bad business reviews. So, it affected my personal life.” Having never been in the spotlight before, Gravesande says the responses were overwhelming, and at times, unreal. He opened up about how his decision to begin therapy changed his trajectory, especially in terms of relationships.
Clay Gravesande Says Therapy Changed His Life Post-‘Love Is Blind’
Gravesande has become an unexpected totem for Millennial men regarding marriage and mental health. During the season, viewers met the families of each couple, and Gravesande’s relationship with his father was examined, especially in terms of his views on marriage and fidelity. In episode 7 of the series, Gravesande expressed his fears about his abilities as a husband because his father had previously cheated on his mother.
Although some used his vulnerability as ammo or called it a cop-out, Gravesande was grateful for the moment. “I think the conversation was needed -especially for the Black community. I know so many people who’ve had a divorce, and they weren’t able to have that closure conversation,” he said.
Gravesande continued. “I feel like if that conversation had never happened, my dad would never have apologized to the family and never understood the magnitude of his decisions.” He says his family is better because of it.
The former college track star isn’t planning to become a mental wellness guru anytime soon, but he is open to sharing what he’s learned along the way. He’s revamped his YouTube channel and has begun sharing post-session testimonials and daily vlogs. He hopes his candidness will create a space where men can feel comfortable and get real about their mental health and well-being in relationships.
Gravesande has been immersing himself in therapy sessions, exploring his inner child, and examining what success and happiness mean to him. “I’m trying to take a step back before I realized success, to what brought me happiness as a kid and trying to get back into that essence. If you can find that pure happiness, it will play an effect…. and in terms of relationships, I’m more so unlearning some of the things that I thought were cool as a man,” he said.
His participation in the show didn’t sour his feelings about marriage, but it made him reevaluate what type of husband he wanted to be. Physical attraction and financial stability are still high on his list, and while he’s still open to doing reality television again, anything concerning relationships could be a hard pass. Gravesande is not looking for a relationship at the moment, but when he’s ready, cameras (or pods) will not be involved.
Watch the full video interview with Clay above. Love Is Blind can be streamed on Netflix.