Love Is Blind's Emma Betsinger reveals what happened to her arm as she finally gets to 'showcase' her personality
Emma says her scars have always been 'an elephant in the room'Love Is Blind‘s Emma Betsinger has opened up about her arm disfigurement while on her quest to find love in the Netflix show.
Emma, 28, is one of 32 new singletons who have headed into the brand new season 10 pods to try and meet their match.
The retail merchandiser has been honest from the outset about her background, including what happened to her arm.
Here’s what we know about Emma so far.
Love Is Blind’s Emma: What happened to her arm?
Emma arrived at the Love Is Blind Ladies Quarters in a stunning burned orange, satin dress with thin straps.
She did nothing to hide her arm disfigurement as she opened up to hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey about what happened.
Emma, who is a yoga enthusiast, revealed in episode 1 that she has scarring on her arm due to extensive surgeries from birth. She was born with a birth mark that carried a high risk of developing into skin cancer.
Emma said: “I had over 10 surgeries to get rid of a birthmark that would have caused melanoma.”
Confirming her reason for wanting to go on Love Is Blind, she added: “So my whole life has been thinking about the physical aspect. This is the first time I get to showcase my personality. I’m super excited to be here.”
Vanessa looked emotional as Emma shared her feelings.
Emma later spoke about her birthmark in more detail to Steven, a single guy looking for love. They had chatted several times by this point and she finally felt ready to open up.
She also revealed she has birthmarks elsewhere on her body.
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‘It felt like an elephant in the room’
“I wanted to go on this show because I really like the idea of the physical being removed from it,” Emma told Steven, 31.
“When I was born, I was actually born with a birthmark covering my whole arm. It had a high chance of melanoma so I had about 10 surgeries before the age of seven to remove my birth marks.
“The biggest one was on my arm, but I have birthmarks all over my body that I have to get checked every year.
“This was something I struggled with growing up. It just felt like an elephant in the room. It’s not hindering my abilities to do anything but I do think it’s impacted the way people do see me on dates and the way I’m perceived.”
Who is Emma Betsinger?
Emma has also been open from the offset about her background.
Minutes into the new season launching, Emma also told Nick and Vanessa, along with the rest of the girls, that she was adopted as a child.
“I’m adopted into a white family from China,” she said.
During her initial meetings in the Love Is Blind pods, Emma chose to keep quiet about her adoption. She tearfully told the camera: “I’ve been raised by a white family. They’re the best examples of love.
“But right now, I’m not ready to disclose that. It’s just something I don’t think anyone can understand it until they know who I am. Sometimes you don’t even understand it yourself.”
Later, in the pod, she is asked by Steven if she would ever adopt a child. Emma freezes, then replies: “Yeah, I… um.. am.. for children, right now, I want to find the right partner for kids.
“But adoption is a million per cent on the table. There’s so many children that deserve and need to be loved.”
Later, however, she does feel ready to tell him.
She says: “I was adopted at the age of three. I don’t want it to be a fun fact. My parents are my family. I don’t feel the need to figure out where I came from.”
Why Emma is ‘scared’ about having children
Emma’s adoption has made her wary about having children. But this is something she isn’t keeping quiet about on Love Is Blind.
Chatting to Mike, 29, she said: “I want to find the right partner but kids change the whole dynamic. I am not 100 per cent, but I’m not a no.
“I know a lot of people really want kids but, for me, I don’t know yet.”
Emma later lifted the lid on the real reason behind her feelings, telling the camera: “I’m adopted. I do not know my birth family or if they are going to pass down any medical problems. That scares me about having a child.”
Will Emma find someone who shares her feelings and make it to the alter?
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Love Is Blind, episodes 1-6, are available to stream now on Netflix.
