Love Is Blind UK’s Yasmin: ‘I had to reveal my condition in the pods – I was so nervous’

Love Is Blind UK season 3 star Yasmin Toseafa wasn’t sure if she would reveal her skin condition to her dates on the show.

But then came Jordan, the teacher and former military soldier who completely swept her away in the pods.

When Yasmin, who is of Egyptian-Lebanese and Ghanaian heritage, was eight years old, she was diagnosed with vitiligo, which causes patches of skin to turn white.

For the next chapters of her life, Yasmin camouflaged herself with makeup, refusing to let her natural beauty shine through until supermodel Winnie Harlow, who radiates with the same condition, became the biggest supermodel in the world.

‘I thought to myself, if this woman can be a Victoria’s Secret supermodel, I can open the doors to the postman without covering up all the time,’ she says.

‘I got Covid, it was isolating, and I was thinking to myself, “Gosh, if all things were to go south today, and this was my last day here, is that the legacy that I would want to leave?”

‘I decided that if the thing that I’m most worried about is people finding out about my vitiligo, why don’t I just take that fear away and tell everyone? I took a picture of myself with no makeup on, aside from a little bit of red lippy because you have to bring a bit of drama, and posted it on my socials.

‘I threw my phone away for five hours, then when I finally picked it up, the response was just fantastic. I can’t believe it took me 20 years to do it, but that was the beginning.’

Since then, she’s graced the pages of Vogue magazine, became the first Miss Universe GB finalist with vitiligo and now is inspiring millions more in her pursuit of love on the Netflix reality TV series. All of that, and she’s also a qualified associate physician.

Yasmin’s power shines through instantly on Love is Blind, but she grows stronger with each date in the pod with Jordan. They just fit; even if life outside the pods proved the ultimate hurdle when he wasn’t prepared to move south and sheepishly stopped Yasmin from moving to Birmingham.

But their chemistry was undeniably real – even if short-lived. Easily the most poignant moment of the entire series came when Yasmin told Jordan about her condition; she was shaking as she spoke of her childhood and shattered security, unaware that on the other side he was completely unfazed but captivated in his care for her.

Some viewers have argued it defeats the object of the show to reveal anything about appearance, but for Yasmin it would have been impossible to reveal her true self without sharing such a fundamental part of her journey.

‘I was very back and forth about whether or not I was going to share it,’ she says.

‘Before I went on the show, I was speaking to my friends about it and at one point, I said, “No, I’m not going to”. And at another point, I was like, “I think I am actually.”

‘What pushed it for me was that it’s not just about whether or not I’ve got it; it’s more about how much it plays into my life story. I thought there is no way I can tell someone about myself and not mention that because it’s such a big part of my life, and you’re supposed to be vulnerable and open in the pod, so that’s when I decided I do have to mention it.

‘After about three or four days, I was speaking to one of the other girls in the pods, Hannah, and I was just telling her what I’ve achieved in the last few years – the modelling I do, the first Miss Universe Britain with vitiligo – and she was like, “Oh, have you told any of the guys this? I was like, “Actually, I haven’t. Maybe I should?”

‘I was so nervous, and Jordan happened to be the first date that I had that day. I’m actually so glad it was because the first time telling someone was so emotionally charged, and as you can see, I was very emotional about it, but Jordan’s response was perfect, and I feel like it brought us closer.’

Yasmin’s watched back that moment again and again, and still sobs every single time.

‘I remember how I was feeling at that time, and how it just brought me back to being that vulnerable girl who camouflaged all the time and was so worried about what people would think of her. I’m really proud of myself that I worked through those feelings and was able to share it with Jordan.’

The first eight episodes of season three blew up on Netflix last week, concluding with Jordan putting an end to the experiment with Yasmin. Ultimately, he couldn’t commit to the wedding, standing in front of their loved ones and declaring vows when he was still riddled with doubt.

Regardless, Yasmin is moving forward with a newfound confidence, determination and belief that she is ready and worthy of love. And more importantly, she knows what she wants.

‘It’s no secret that a lot of the time during my relationship with Jordan, I questioned if he liked me or not. When you’re in an experiment with other couples who are all in love and seem to be on cloud nine, that can feel quite isolating.

‘I spent a lot of time not sure, anxious, and I thought to myself, “I now know moving forward that I’m never going to put myself in that position again. The partner I search for is going to be one that makes it very clear to me how they feel about me.”

‘I also learned that it’s important to ask yourself how you feel about your partner. That’s definitely something that, moving forward, I’m gonna put more emphasis on.’

Love Is Blind episodes nine and ten are available to stream from August 26.