Married at First Sight star Jessica Studer has revealed she felt much better and relieved after she told her husband Austin Hurd she was in love with him.
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During the April 1 broadcast of Married at First Sight: Unfiltered, Jessica watched back a Season 10 clip in which she overcame her fear of being rejected and told Austin during a counseling session with Dr. Viviana Coles, "I do love you, Austin."
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"For me to say it," Austin replied, "I just need a little more time."
Unfiltered host Jamie Otis teared up when watching Jessica share her emotions, and Viviana joked she's "so pregnant." (Jamie and her husband Doug Hehner, whom she married on Season 1 of Married at First Sight, are currently expecting their second child together).
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"Jessica, how does it feel watching that back?" Jamie asked after composing herself.
"It feels really good to watch that again and relive in that moment, and I really did feel so much better and relieved after I said it," Jessica shared.
"Do you feel he received it [in] the way you wanted him to?" Jamie asked.
"He had already said he wasn't ready to say it, so I wasn't expecting it. I knew that I was saying it because I wanted to," Jessica said.
Austin has gushed about how he's "crazy" about Jessica and cares for her immensely. In fact, he said he never felt so strongly about a woman so quickly before.
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However, Austin just didn't want to rush saying "I love you," recognizing the significance and magnitude of such a claim.
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When asked for his thoughts on Austin waiting to profess his love back to Jessica, Season 10 participant Zach Justice said, "It's so funny how it's engrained in us that you're supposed to say these things at the same time."
"You know, good for them for having a true demonstration of vulnerability in saying something or doing something and not expecting anything in return, and [Jessica] just handling it very well," Zach added.
Viviana said she doesn't understand where the mindset comes from that a man should say "I love you" first in a relationship.
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"We think the more alpha person in a relationship should take the reins when it comes to saying that, but I think it's antiquated. If you feel it, say it!" Viviana urged.
"Yeah, yeah," Jamie agreed.
"Jessica is the alpha," Zach joked.
"I guess that's not surprising then," Jessica said in reply.
"I could see you being the alpha in the relationship!" Jamie pointed out to Jessica.
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"Well, [Austin] is a mama's boy, so what do you expect?" Zach joked.
"For sure," Jamie replied.
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Jessica said on the March 4 episode of Unfiltered she was convinced Austin was going to be the first one to say "I love you," even though he kept insisting he didn't take those three words lightly and it would take a while for him to say them.
"I still feel like [Austin] will probably be the first one to say it," Jessica proudly stated at the time.
"I think that he is someone who is more in check with his feelings and emotions, and I usually put up a lot more walls. So, I kind of feel like it's going to be him that says it first... I mean, if he wants to say it, I might say it back!"
Jamie therefore asked Jessica if she loved Austin and wanted to say "I love you" but was holding back.
"I think that I'm definitely growing those feelings," Jessica shared. "I'm getting to that point... I am pretty happy with Austin... I'm at, like, a 10 [out of 10 on a scale of my feelings for him]."
Jessica and Austin, who are both quirky and want to start a family in the near future, seemingly have the strongest and most stable relationship on Married at First Sight's tenth season.
In fact, the pair actually toned down their affection for each other when in the presence of the other struggling couples.
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Jessica and Austin consummated their marriage early into their honeymoon in Panama and have succeeded in navigating daily life together.
Austin, for example, cooks and cleans the apartment when Jessica works late, and for those reasons, Jessica doesn't mind she makes more money.
Jessica and Austin had a little tiff about how much Austin would have to travel for work in the future, but a little communication went a long way for these two and they eventually hashed out the issue rationally and maturely.
At this point, it appears Jessica and Austin have no hurdles to overcome other than the fact Jessica is waiting for Austin to profess his love for her.
Married at First Sight's tenth season, which currently airs on Wednesday nights at 8PM ET/PT on Lifetime, also stars Mindy Shiben, Meka Jones, Michael Watson, Taylor Dunklin, Brandon Reid, Katie Conrad and Derek Sherman.
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