Netflix’s Love Is Blind contestant Jessica shares wine with her dog and the internet has lost it

25 February 2020, 15:52

By Sophie Thompson

Netflix show Love Is Blind puts a group of singletons to the ultimate blind date test, and Jessica Batten along with Mark Cuevas are one of the couples that fans are still unsure will go through with their marriage.

If you haven't already become emotionally invested in Netflix's new dating show Love Is Blind, where have you been these past two weeks?

The show follows 30 singletons as they blind date from behind a wall, and then pick someone to marry...having never seen them in person...and after ten days.

READ MORE: This genius Netflix hack lets you see the first thing you ever watched

And whether you're staring at your screen with an open mouth or rooting for Lauren and Cameron (who dropped the L-bomb after 36 minutes), there's one other member of the show that's been catching attention for a rather strange reason.

Jessica Batten, a then-34-year-old regional manager (of what? we have no idea either, could be Tesco, could be NASA), has sparked a huge frenzy online, not because of her romantic relationship on the show, but her relationship with her dog.

Here's a picture of the good sis Payton.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jessica Batten (@jessicabatten24) on Sep 30, 2018 at 4:52am PDT

During the show, in the midst of an intense are-we-having-children talk with her fiancé, 24 year old Mark Cuevas, Jessica casually lowers a huge glass of red wine as if she was about to put it on the floor, before her golden retriever Payton sticks her tongue in and has a good old drink, before Jessica whispers to Mark "She loves wine."

Tag yourselves, we're Payton the golden retriever.

Of course, like with all good TV moments, the internet had thoughts, as post-'wait-did-a-dog-just-drink-wine?' Jessica brings the glass back up and carries on sipping like its no big deal.

Poor Mark had already proposed at this point so didn't even get chance to bat an eyelid...unlucky.

Laughs aside, vets are advising you don't actually let your dogs pop the cork on a bottle of Merlot as it can cause sickness and distress - and Jessica herself has revealed that Payton got very sick during the filming of the show in 2018 - although thankfully non wine-related.

View this post on Instagram

This is my doggy Payton. During the filming of the show in 2018, she ingested a very small piece of a stick. Unfortunately, this little stick lodged into her intestines in the perfect way that the vet had to perform surgery to remove it. While she was opened up on the table, the surgeon called me and told me she wouldn’t make it through since they needed to cut out most of the intestine. She was 5 years old. I was beside myself, devastated and all the while cameras were rolling. Fortunately, she made it through the surgery but they were certain she couldn’t overcome the post trauma. Every night after working and filming my struggles with whether love was blind or not, I would go lay with her in the ICU cage and every night I thought would be the last time I would see my pretty girl. This went on for ten days. The first picture is from a couple of weeks ago. My doggy Payton is resilient. Not only did she survive but she is thriving - happy and healthy and loving. She has taught me this very important thing about life...it is fleeting and even when circumstances seem overwhelming, we can overcome. ***Special shout out to the amazing and bad ass women vets at Blue Pearl for saving my baby - against all odds! First 📸 shot by @reignstudio_cp. #paytonhester #lifelessons #lifeisfleeting #surviveandthrive #overcoming #goldensofinstagram #unconditionallove #loveisblindnetflix

A post shared by Jessica Batten (@jessicabatten24) on Feb 20, 2020 at 1:51pm PST

In a recent Instagram post, she wrote: "This is my doggy Payton. During the filming of the show in 2018, she ingested a very small piece of a stick. Unfortunately, this little stick lodged into her intestines in the perfect way that the vet had to perform surgery to remove it.

"While she was opened up on the table, the surgeon called me and told me she wouldn’t make it through since they needed to cut out most of the intestine. She was 5 years old. I was beside myself, devastated and all the while cameras were rolling.

"Fortunately, she made it through the surgery but they were certain she couldn’t overcome the post trauma. Every night after working and filming my struggles with whether love was blind or not, I would go lay with her in the ICU cage and every night I thought would be the last time I would see my pretty girl.

"This went on for ten days. The first picture is from a couple of weeks ago. My doggy Payton is resilient. Not only did she survive but she is thriving - happy and healthy and loving. She has taught me this very important thing about life...it is fleeting and even when circumstances seem overwhelming, we can overcome."

Love Is Blind continues on 27th February on Netflix.