Love Is Blind’s Danielle Ruhl and Nick Thompson’s Relationship Timeline

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Love Is Blind’s Danielle Ruhl and Nick Thompson’s Relationship Timeline

A (brief) reality TV success story. Danielle Ruhl and Nick Thompson walked down the aisle — and exchanged vows — after meeting on season 2 of Love Is Blind. The twosome were the first pair to get engaged after meeting in the pods on the 2022 season, but their bliss didn’t last long. During the group trip to Mexico, Danielle, who was feeling sick, was upset when Nick returned from a party with their costars. While it appeared that she was mad about how he interacted with the rest of the cast, Danielle later claimed there was inaccurate speculation about the fight online. “The true story is that I told Nick about a traumatic experience I had in college right before I encouraged him to go to the couple’s party without me to represent us as a couple. While I was lying there sick, I started to get in my own head, and wondered whether I had shared too much too soon and I started to relieve an event that I had repressed for so long,” she wrote via Instagram in February 2022. “This caused me to have a panic attack and I went into the closet so that no one could see me in such a public environment. I also looked outside at the couple’s party. This was not because I was jealous, but because I needed support and wanted to see when Nick would be coming back.” The marketing director noted that Nick “had no idea what happened” when he was gone. [jwplayer lzGamWIv-zhNYySv2] “When he found out what happened behind the scenes, he was more than supportive and we were able to learn from it and get past it. I want to reiterate that I am fully aware that I can project my anxiety onto others and it is something I am constantly working on,” she explained. “However, being dragged down on the internet for my mental health and being ‘diagnosed’ with every disorder in the book based on an hour of footage taken from months of filming is not only damaging to myself and my family, but to anyone else who have had similar experiences.” Danielle was candid on the show about struggling with anxiety. “I understand that I have things to work on, and I was in a great mental space before going on the show. However, the stressful environment brought me back to a place that I never expected,” she continued. “I hope that in the future everyone will get to know the real me — as a human being — and not a character on a reality TV show. I am not looking for sympathy or saying that I did not make mistakes throughout my experience. I am looking for understanding for every single person who may have demons they are facing behind closed doors, for everyone who feels misrepresented, or for anyone who is triggered by those who attack others for having feelings that others may not understand.” Love Is Blind’s Deepti Vempati also took to Instagram to defend Danielle. “We've become best friends since the show has wrapped. We bonded over our love for music, The Office, blow-up guitars, our insecurities, our anxieties and our love for others,” she wrote. "I have seen a lot of hate and negative comments and it saddens me. Mental health is an important subject and I will not pretend to know everything about it. But, one thing is for sure — when you are trying to heal and grow, having a healthy environment is necessary." Nick reposted the remarks, adding, “Beautiful posts from beautiful people. Let’s be kind and support one another.” Despite the rocky trip to Mexico — and a few other hiccups — Danielle and Nick were one of the only two couples to get married on the February 2022 finale, joining Iyanna McNeely and Jarrette Jones as one of the duos to wed. That August, however, both couples called it quits. Scroll through Nick and Danielle’s timeline:

Credit: Patrick Wymore/Netflix

Meeting in the Pods

The Love Is Blind pairs can get engaged anytime within the 10-day period of dating in the pods. Season 2 taped in spring 2021.

“I’m ready to be married to him tomorrow,” Danielle said falling in love with Nick sight unseen. “I am not going to let anything get in the way of this.”

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Engagement

Nick was the first guy who fans saw pop the question.

“The fact that I already feel like the luckiest girl in the world, how can I not be attracted to him?” Danielle asked the cameras after she accepted a proposal from Nick

Credit: Netflix

Mexico Fight

After hitting it off at the beginning of the cast trip, their romance hit a roadblock when Danielle started having doubts.

“There are a lot of inaccurate assumptions as to why I had a panic attack in Mexico. I do understand that there are times that I can project insecurities and anxieties onto others and take accountability for my actions, and am learning to continue work on not letting my past experiences shape the way I view the world or others,” she wrote via Instagram after the episode started streaming.

Nick applauded her in the comments, writing, “Very proud of you and your strength!”

Credit: Netflix

Meeting the Families

While Danielle’s family was quick to embrace Nick, his mother and sisters came off a bit cold on camera.

Credit: Aarón Ortega/Netflix

Anxiety Pre-Wedding

At the bachelor/bachelorette parties, Danielle admitted that she didn’t know what was going to happen on wedding day. That morning, she revealed Nick told her to say “no” at the altar, but they ultimately tied the knot.

Credit: Netflix

Wedding

The duo said “I do” during an outdoor ceremony, which takes place roughly 40 days after production begins in the pods.

Credit: Adam Rose/Netflix

Couples Therapy

The duo told Us in March 2022 that they are going strong — but still working on their relationship.

“I think the biggest challenge for us was losing the structure of the show,” Nick told Us. “We quickly realized like, ‘Hey, two months ago, we weren’t married, we were single. Since then, we’ve met and married, we have friends, we have family, everybody — some people know, some people don’t.’ And so, it’s like, ‘How do you navigate these waters and how do you go from doing whatever you want two months ago to, like, being part of a family?’”

The pair are also seeking professional help.

“The couple therapist literally was like, ‘Danielle, you speak French. He speaks German. And when you’re talking to each other, it doesn’t translate. And it takes months, years sometimes, to be able to actually communicate with each other,’” Danielle explained. “And so the harder we try, the more our therapist is a translator for us, the easier it becomes. And like, even with my anxiety — and we both go through our stresses — one time, I might need to be alone. One time, I might need him to hug me. And I have to realize, I can’t assume that he is gonna know how to be there for me. I have to verbalize, ‘This is what I need from you right now,’ and be patient with him not completely, always understanding what to do in those situations.”

She concluded: “I just can’t wait for people to see the relationship that we have now.”

Credit: Courtesy of Danielle Ruhl/Instagram

Coachella

"Had such an amazing time at our first Coachella," Danielle wrote via Instagram alongside photos of the couple's trip to the California music festival. "So happy I get to experience every new first with you for the rest of our lives."

Credit: Courtesy of Nick Thompson/Instagram

Anniversary

The twosome celebrated their first year of marriage. “Crew and cameras followed us around for most of the day while we worked, got ready, and decided what we would say at the altar,” he wrote via Instagram. “While it's tough getting married under those circumstances, here we are a year later putting in the work to get to know each other and learn how to be partners for one another. All in real time. I'm proud of us.”

Credit: Courtesy of Danielle Ruhl/Instagram

Wedding Round 2

“At either our two — or three-year —anniversary, we really wanna redo a reception to make sure all of our families can be there,” Danielle exclusively told Us in July 2022. “Like, I've always dreamt of my dream wedding and wedding planning and a bachelorette party. And so we're redoing all of that. It's just like when we have the time.”

Credit: Courtesy of Danielle Ruhl/Instagram

Post-Pod Bliss

“[Nick] became my best friend so quickly, like even more so after we were done filming, it was so natural,” she gushed to Us in July 2022. “I think one of the most difficult parts was the fact that we both worked from home. And because of that, we were constantly on top of each other.”

While life has gotten “easier” for the pair since they added a second home office for Danielle, they’re already looking ahead to the future. She told Us: “I can't wait to have kids to embarrass the heck out of both Nick and them. Like, I can't wait. However, we got married really quickly and so it's not anywhere in the [cards for] next two years.”

Credit: Jordan Strauss/AP/Shutterstock

It’s Over

Less than one month after telling Us that the pair wanted to re-do their wedding off screen, Danielle filed for divorce on August 15.

Credit: Ser Baffo/Netflix

The Aftermath

In a September 2022 Instagram Story, Danielle told followers that she's struggling with the split more than she lets on via social media. "It's funny when people are like, 'How are you so happy?'" she said in a video. "Would you rather have me post an Instagram Live of me crying for eight hours straight, because I can do that if you want [me] to! That's my reality."

Captioning a photo taken during one of her more emotional moments, she wrote: "Can barely see out of my eyes from crying. I deal with these situations like anyone else. Sending love to all."

Credit: Courtesy Nick Thompson/Instagram; Courtesy Danielle Ruhl/Instagram

Moving On

Thompson broke his silence on his split from Ruhl in an emotional social media statement. “The last few weeks have been especially challenging for me," he admitted via Instagram in September 2022. “Everyone perceives and experiences grief differently when a relationship ends, let alone the loss of a marriage in the public eye. I’m working through my own mental and emotional challenges to overcome feelings of anxiety and depression.”

He continued: “Most importantly, I’ve learned it’s okay to not be okay and that staying true to myself is essential to find my way forward. ... I am heartbroken my marriage ended. I know in my heart that I did the best I could and gave it everything I had."

Ruhl, for her part, addressed the major life change in her own post.

"It has taken some time to publicly speak about my marriage ending, as emotions are still raw. However, I will always appreciate those who have followed my journey and continue to support me throughout this entire experience," she shared at the time. "I’ll always care about Nick and appreciate our time together. As a wise woman said - choose yourself. :)."

Credit: Courtesy of Danielle Ruhl/Instagram

Starting Fresh

Ruhl and Thompson raised eyebrows with a cozy Instagram selfie in May 2023. That same month, the associate marketing director discussed her "biggest regrets" about her split from her ex-husband.

"I am going to be incredibly transparent about how immature I acted right after the divorce in terms of like, some of the things I was posting on social media," she said on an episode of the "Intimate Knowledge With Meghan King" podcast, noting that she offered Thompson "a sincere apology" regarding her behavior amid their divorce.

Ruhl continued: "The way that I acted right after the divorce, I was kind of a looney tune because [of] not having closure. Not being able to have a conversation, just getting divorced publicly without even being able to talk to him, I didn't act the best."