‘Love Is Blind’ Star Hannah Jiles Responds to Backlash Over How She Treats Nick Dorka

Love Is Blind star Hannah Jiles is addressing the backlash surrounding how she treats fiancé Nick Dorka on Season 7 of the Netflix show.

Hannah and Nick may have gotten engaged in the Love Is Blind pods, but their romantic connection was put to the test upon their return to Washington D.C. Hannah regularly expressed concerns about Nick’s maturity level to his face, even writing out a list of red flags she saw with her husband-to-be.

Fans of Season 7 have accused her of being “emotionally abusive” toward Nick, but during the Tuesday, Oct. 15 episode of The Viall Files podcast, Hannah, 26, noted that she’s a work in progress when it comes to how she speaks to people.

“I’ve learned a lot, I’ve learned there’s things I need to work on,” Hannah said. “For example, I am a very direct person. I know that but I think my delivery is rough — and delivery is everything.”

Hannah admitted that watching the season back, she recognizes she was “really harsh” at times. “So I’ve learned to be kinder [and] work on my delivery,” she continued. “Sometimes just because it’s the truth and it’s what you’re feeling doesn’t mean that you have to say it out loud. Maybe think about it, think about the delivery, be a little softer.”

In her past relationships, Hannah said she never had issues with partners criticizing her communication style. “I wish people called me out on my s— more,” she said. “[With] past partners … it’s definitely a problem. I’m a little bit of a control freak. I like the things I like. So I think in relationships sometimes they just let me do what I do and they don’t really say anything. So it’s definitely a problem with me wanting what I want.”

Having marriage on the table so early in her relationship with Nick made the situation “a little bit unique” as well. “I’ve never been engaged or married so these questions I’m asking aren’t typical things that I would be asking [in] relationships unless we’ve been together for a long time,” she said. That being said, Hannah said she has “got a lot of room to grow,” adding, “I’m trying, I promise.”

During the batch of Love Is Blind episodes that dropped on Wednesday, Oct. 16, Nick and Hannah decided to call off their wedding after numerous fights.

“Social awareness, I do not see. Respect, you have none,” Hannah told Nick. “Ego versus confidence, I feel like I need to stroke your ego for you to be happy. And I feel like you say you’re an extremely confident person and I make you un-confident when it’s just ego, and it’s just delusion. You just can’t see how I feel.”

Nick, in turn, accused Hannah of “always talking down to” him. “We’re not equals here. It doesn’t feel that way at all,” he said. “You think I can’t take care of myself for some reason. You think I can’t take care of you, I can’t take care of anything.”

They concluded their conversation by saying they were “not going to get married,” which Nick said was one of the worst feelings of his life. “I thought I was good enough for you and I was wrong the whole time,” he said. “I thought you understood me and I was wrong the whole time. I love you, you know? So it’s gonna suck. I’ll never not think about you, you’ll always be in my heart.”

Love Is Blind Season 7 is currently streaming on Netflix, with new episodes dropping on Wednesdays.