‘Love Is Blind’: Aaliyah Cosby on Why She Left Uche & Lydia's Intentions (Exclusive)

“Extra’s” Megan Ryte spoke to “Love Is Blind” Season 5 stars Aaliyah Cosby and Taylor Rue about their experiences looking for love in the pods.

Aaliyah opened up about why she connected so strongly with Uche Okoroha, and her decision to leave after learning about his past with one of the other cast members, Lydia Velez Gonzalez.

While Aaliyah found it “overwhelming” to date so many men at one time, she instantly felt a connection with Uche. She explained, “The first conversation I had with him, I just noticed how direct and eloquent he was. I loved the way he talked… He’s very intellectual and I’m very attracted to that in a man, but just also the fact that we connected on creative expression and poetry.”

She added, “I enjoy kind of sharing that energy with somebody… I wanted to be open, I wanted to be candid and transparent with him. I felt like we were both being very vulnerable with each other.”

As their relationship progressed, things came out — like his past with Lydia. Cosby noted, “You date somebody in the beginning and things seem all perfect and then the flaws start to come to the surface on both sides and I was willing to navigate that because I know, in a marriage, things aren’t always going to be perfect and you have to be willing to work through things… It just got a point where I was like, ‘Ok, maybe this might not be right for me… I ended up making a decision that I felt was best for me in the long run.”

Does she think Lydia “followed” Uche onto the show? Aaliyah answered, “At this moment, I don’t really want to speak on that, but I will say that I have taken a lot of time to reflect and I don’t know what her intentions were.”

Keeping it classy, Cosby commented, “I think that might be a better question for her… I do have respect for Lydia. I want her to be happy and I genuinely wish her the best, I really do.”

Despite how things ended with Uche, Aaliyah was happy to be on the show. She said, “You learn so much about yourself doing something like this. I love who I’ve become now as a result of my experience.”