Lydia Velez Gonzalez is looking back on an unforgettable moment she shared with her now-husband Milton Johnson back in the pods.
While opening up about her favorite unseen moment from the show, the Love Is Blind alum, 32, tells about a touching gift exchange she had with Milton, 25, while they were dating in the pods.
During episode three of the reality series, geologist Lydia gifted Milton a rock as a nod to their shared interest in rocks, while petroleum engineer Milton gave Lydia an inflatable bumblebee to represent her favorite color yellow — and as she now reveals, the first time she was vulnerable with him.
“I am really allergic to a lot of things, I found out, and it all happened because I was stung by a bumblebee and the bumblebee resulted in a really severe allergy that I had to go to the emergency room and I almost died,” she says, explaining the traumatic ordeal.
Though she now has to carry an EpiPen at all times, Lydia shares how the incident allowed the couple to deepen their connection and the way his gift touched her heart.
“When I first saw the bee, I was like, ‘What?’ I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ And he was like, ‘Well, the first time you were vulnerable with me was when you showed me that condition with the bumblebee. That was the first time you were vulnerable with me, it’s from me something that was really scary for you,’” she recalls of their exchange, which was not shown on camera.
Lydia went on to praise Milton for how “eloquently” he was able to change the narrative from something that was initially terrible into something beautiful. “I was like, ‘You just completely turn around a traumatic story into something cute that I’ll always remember,’” she says.
“That was one of the things that made me more in Love,” she continues. “I was like, ‘You’re great. This is perfect.’”
Despite the ups and downs in their journey to the altar, the reality star has no regrets about the way anything unfolded.
“No, I love being married,” she says. “I love my marriage. I am so happy today. And if everything that I did and said got me to the same result, I’m going to do it all over again the exact same way.”
“He’s amazing,” she gushes. “He is the perfect guy, but out of most he loves me for who I am, genuinely me. And he has shown throughout time that he will defend me with everything that he [has] got and he will have my back, no questions asked. And he has never doubt[ed] who I am.”
In the season 5 finale of Love Is Blind, Milton and Lydia said “I do” to each other on their wedding day. At Sunday’s reunion, the couple confirmed they are still happily married almost a year and a half later.
“I think in the past, before I met Lydia… I would typically stay at work too late. Now, 5:30 hits and I’m like, ‘Hey, I gotta get home to my wife,’” Milton told co-hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey. “A few years ago, I could’ve never imagined feeling this way, being this way. It’s beautiful.”
And despite Milton’s family being skeptical of their romance earlier in the season, the duo also confirmed that Lydia has since won his family over.
“They’re all Team Lydia now,” Milton said. “Lydia’s made my parents so soft, so different from what we grew up with.”
Joking that she’ll call Milton’s mom when he’s aggravating her and they’ll often go to dinner or chat on the phone, Lydia added, “I love them dearly. They are the best.”
Love Is Blind season 5 is streaming in full on Netflix.
