Taking responsibility. Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee publicly apologized to ex-fiancée Deepti Vempati for his controversial comments about her on season 2 of Love Is Blind.
“I wanted to take this opportunity to really just say sorry to a woman that I know I hurt,” the 33-year-old reality star said in a video shared via Instagram on Tuesday, March 8. “Deepti, I am truly sorry for some of the things I said.”
He continued: “Things that, honestly, just could’ve been left unsaid or could have been said differently. Things that never should have been on national television.”
The veterinarian, who got engaged to Deepti on the Netflix series before they called it quits, revealed that his now-ex was his “best friend” while they were filming.
“Even though I knew our relationship wasn’t going to end in marriage, I didn’t want what we had to end either,” Shake continued. “I loved every second of it.”
The TV personality, who was dubbed one of the season’s villains, concluded: “I’m so, so sorry that I hurt you with my words. That’s the last thing that I wanted from all of this. I’m sorry, Deepti.”
Shake noted in the video’s caption that he was “ready to take accountability for [his] actions and be better.” He explained that had already “reached out privately” to Deepti, 31, in the wake of their split and his comments made on the reunion special, which dropped on Friday, March 4.
“I think it’s also important I apologize publicly for the sake of your family and friends that I’ve upset as well,” he added on Tuesday.
Shake raised eyebrows throughout the dating show, which premiered last month, for his remarks about prioritizing people’s looks instead of focusing on finding true love. After proposing in the pods, Shake frequently told his costars that he didn’t feel physically attracted to Deepti, comparing their relationship to being with a relative.
Ultimately, Deepti called off their engagement on their wedding day. “There’s a lot of things that he said that he didn’t say to my face and [things] I’ve heard from other cast members,” the data analyst exclusively told Us Weekly following the season 2 finale last month. “I just don’t have room for anybody in my life that doesn’t see me in the best way. And who could even think those types of thoughts, I guess. … I knew what I had to do.”
During the show’s reunion special, Shake found himself in the hot seat after hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey called him out for not embracing the show’s idea of falling in love based on someone’s personality.
“I wanted to be partially blind. I wanted [it] to be Love Is Blurry. … We all have our physical preferences,” Shake fired back after some of his castmates claimed that his comments about Deepti that aired were just the tip of the iceberg. “Listen, every woman in here is beautiful. I think you’re all beautiful. I’m not attracted to all of you. Unfortunately, the only one I’m attracted to is Vanessa — and I wish I wasn’t! I wish I wasn’t. The point is, it’s not a choice.”
Deepti has since sparked romance rumors with fellow season 2 contestant Kyle Abrams after the construction worker revealed during the reunion special that his “biggest regret” was not proposing to Deepti.
