Love is Blind star Deepti Vempati opens up about her relationship with Abhishek Chatterjee, stating that he referred to her as a "flying squirrel."

Love is Blind season 2 star Deepti Vempati has opened up about her time with ex-fiance, Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee, claiming that he referred to her as a “flying squirrel.” Fans of the show first saw Deepti and Shake connect on a deep level in the Love is Blind pods, though they did have other love interests in mind. Ultimately they ended up choosing each other and Shake proposed to Deepti in the pods before ever having met her. Though Shake’s reputation in the show started off rocky due to his intense questioning of the women in regard to their body types, he seemed like he was developing into a better character.

When Deepti saw Shake for the first time she seemed overwhelmed with joy, it was clear that she found him attractive, which was only intensified by the bond that they had shared before meeting in person. Shake, however, seemed hesitant. Love is Blind fans were unsure about whether the hesitancy that Shake was showing was due to first time jitters, or if he just wasn’t feeling the attraction with his new-found fiancé. This was made clear on their trip to Mexico, when Shake turned down Deepti's attempts at getting physically intimate. Shake then came on screen to admit that the physical attraction was missing for him, and he wasn’t so sure that he wanted to marry her.

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Deepti has gone on to write a memoir titled, I Choose Myself, the three words she said to her mother right after leaving Shake at the altar. In this memoir she tells fans all about her experience on the show and her journey of self discovery.​​​ People shares that Deepti wrote this story as an opportunity to share her truth, since she has not yet had the chance to do so. Love is Blind fans could see from the beginning just how focused Shake was on Deepti’s appearance, but he managed to keep the worst of his comments off camera. It came to light that Shake referred to Deepti as a “flying squirrel” because of her stretch marks and loose skin, and Deepti also was told that he said her body should be donated to science so that it could be studied.

In her book Deepti admits to the issues that took place off camera when it came to her relationship with Shake, including the body shaming he constantly put her through as well as him degrading other women in front of her. Deepti picked up on Shake's red flags and broke up with him at the altar, though viewers didn't realize the full extent of what Shake did behind the scenes. One comment Love is Blind fans did hear Shake say on camera was that he “didn’t feel an animalistic attraction” to Deepti, which is why he was so unsure on marrying her.

While Shake himself claims that Deepti is just exaggerating in order to extend her fifteen minutes of fame, it is obvious that the ridicule that Deepti faced had a lasting impact on her self-image. In the reunion episode of Love Is Blind, it was obvious that all the other cast members felt a strong frustration with Shake, due to his constant talking over everyone, trying to steal the spotlight, and things he had said to the other cast members after the show had stopped filming. Whether the story has been exaggerated or not, it is clear that Shake was disliked by everyone, which says a lot about his character both on and off the show.

Next: Love Is Blind: What Shake Has Been Up To Since Filming