Love Is Blind UK’s Demola Ayilara reveals unexpected family tie to The Bachelorette’s Dotun Olubeko

Love Is Blind UK season 2 participant Demola Ayilara has revealed that he is related to The Bachelorette season 20 winner Dotun Olubeko. The two are cousins, a fact both men recently confirmed through their Instagram Stories.

According to Olubeko, they met later in life because they lived in different countries, but they quickly developed a strong relationship. Their family tie surfaced as Ayilara’s Love Is Blind journey began streaming on Netflix, while Olubeko continues his life with fiancée Charity Lawson following their televised engagement.

Love Is Blind's Demola Ayilara and The Bachelorette's Dotun Olubeko’s family connection

Demola and Dotun confirm their connection

Dotun Olubeko addressed questions about the relationship on August 20 through Instagram Stories, confirming that Demola is his "cousin." He explained that they first met in adulthood due to living in different countries, and despite the late meeting, they established a consistent family connection from that point onward.

He added that their shared path into reality television was not something either of them had actively pursued.

“Neither of us ever considered or seeked reality TV, but it found us both independently. Crazyyy how life happens.”

Demola Ayilara also shared information through his Instagram account, stating that Dotun is his "long-lost cousin," whom he first met in his late teens. Since that initial meeting, they have maintained a close relationship and spent significant time together, sharing various experiences. He also mentioned Dotun’s fiancée, Charity, noting their family connection and his continued support for "both" of them.

Demola’s Love Is Blind UK experience

On Love Is Blind UK, Ayilara’s main connection in the pods was with Katisha Atkinson. Early in the season, Katisha indicated interest in pursuing an engagement with him. However, she ultimately accepted a proposal from Javen Palmer, leaving Ayilara surprised.

Reflecting on the moment, Ayilara described the situation as a "surprise," noting that he had entered thinking it would be the moment he proposed. He explained that he had prepared a proposal speech, but the outcome was the "opposite" of what he expected, leaving him unexpectedly without an engagement.

Atkinson explained her choice regarding Ayilara and Palmer, stating that she was not fully ready to move forward with him and that she felt a "stronger" connection with Javen, which influenced her decision to accept Palmer’s proposal instead.

Following her engagement, Atkinson began questioning Palmer’s commitment after reports from fellow cast members that he behaved as though he were single during a night out. Palmer denied the claims, but Atkinson ultimately ended the engagement. The episodes left uncertainty about whether Atkinson and Ayilara would revisit their earlier connection.

Dotun follows Demola’s journey

While Ayilara participates in Love Is Blind UK, Olubeko has been closely following his cousin’s progress on the show. On August 20, he made a post on Instagram talking about catching up on the new episodes and stating that he was especially focused on Demola's "season" because he was watching the events unfold more closely than his own Bachelorette experience. 

Olubeko also pointed out the physical and emotional investment made while being on the show, stating that it's not easy to give everything to the process, especially given the nature of reality television. The structure of the show intentionally leaves participants with limited options for developing connections in such an artificial relationship setting.

In another post, he confirmed his continued support.

“Best believe imma be tuning into yesterday’s episodes on this flight. I will be sat to watch a certain lady on this show regret her giant, obvious mistake.”

Stay tuned for more updates.