Love Is Blind's Alex Henderson used to have a different name and here's the heartbreaking reason why he changed it
We've found out what Alex's former moniker wasLove Is Blind star Alex Henderson used to have a completely different name but decided to change it for a heartbreaking reason.
Alex, 32, is one of seven engaged couples the new series of the Netflix show but he was previously known by another moniker.
The love-struck star, who is paired with Ashley Carpenter, was born Alex but had his name changed as a small child.
But why?
Love Is Blind’s Alex Henderson: What was his old name?
Alex’s birth name is actually Alex Henderson, but his mum Kristen married another man when he was two. His own birth father didn’t stay on the scene and has had no involvement in his life.
Alex’s stepdad wanted to legally adopt him following his marriage to Kristen. As a result, he asked to legally change his name to Alec Ferrell. Kristen agreed and Alex became exactly that – Alec Ferrell.
Unfortunately, the marriage was extremely tumultuous. Kristen says she was in “fight or fight” the entire time, while Alex claims his stepdad would ‘lock him in the basement’.
Speaking on Alex’s podcast Play Life Beautifully, Kristen explains to her son: “When you were adopted… worst day of your life, I’m sure… that’s when you became Alec Ferrell.
Kristen says it was a decision made by the courts, explaining: “He was adopting you to make it official. I remember when you had that, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m not his biological son’.
“But the whole time through the adoption process, I said to you, ‘John is not your dad but we’re going to go through a legal ceremony to become a Ferrell.”
The marriage eventually broke down and Kristen and Alex’s stepdad divorced.
But it wasn’t until six years ago that the Love Is Blind star decided to change his name back to his birth name.
‘I want to reclaim what I had’
“Obviously I do reclaim my birth name, it’s more important for me,” Alex said. “It’s not even about reclaiming Henderson for my father’s biological last name. It’s what I was born as. This is what I want to build my name off of.
“I don’t want the Ferrell name attached to me. I don’t want something I’ve changed into. I want to reclaim what I had.”
Alex says his name change back to Alex Henderson was made legal in 2020.
Alex speaks a lot on Love Is Blind about his former love of football. He had hoped to become a professional player but was forced out of the sport due to a bad knee injury.
Alex’s name didn’t legally change until six years ago, so all records of his sporting achievements are in the name Alec Ferrall.
This made digging into Alex’s soccer past tricky. But fret not, TVGuide has you covered.
You can find out exactly what football team Alex played for here.
