Before he started looking for love on Love at First Flight, Michael Stewart was getting over the tragic loss of a girlfriend.
The 30-year-old travel club entrepreneur was paired with entrepreneur Stephanie Johnson during the premiere season of Lifetime’s newest reality dating show, which features two strangers coming together for a travel adventure designed to help them make a love connection within 30 days or less.
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But he had found love before, he revealed in Tuesday’s premiere, during his last significant relationship.
“We had been dating for about a year,” he said. “That was real love, like she really loved me. She really did.”
But their love was stopped due to a tragic health condition.
“She had epilepsy, so she had a seizure,” Stewart said. “And she had had seizures before, but this time I wasn’t there. She actually passed away.”
Breaking down a little, he continued, “And that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with in my life.”
Healing from the loss of his girlfriend has been hard, but Stewart and Johnson seem to be a good pair together, developing a playful repartee while transporting a baby goat through New York City as part of a challenge for the show.
Both agreed that their Christian faith is important to them, and while Johnson admitted that she’s had problems in the past communicating in relationships, Stewart seems more than ready to embrace her as she is, although whether it be as a travel partner or potential wife is left to be seen.
“I’m doing this because I want to have someone to spend the rest of my life with,” he said.
Johnson also seems smitten, even if she ribs Stewart over who is going to drive their rental car at the beginning of their adventure.
“We found out we do have a lot in common,” she said. “On top of that, we’ve got great energy, and he’s super positive, so this could only be a great experience for both of us.”
Will Stewart and Johnson find true love and adventure? Tune in to Love at First Flight to see.
Love at First Flight airs on Lifetime Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET.
Photo credit: Lifetime
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