While The Block is known for its fair share of drama on-screen, it’s the off-screen drama that’s taking place with loveable larrikin Ricky Recard and his love life that’s got all of Australia talking.
From the very first episode of the renovation reality series, the Melbourne local and his best mate (and new father) Haydn Wise won audiences over with their humour, humility, and genuine nature.
And now, it looks like the 34-year-old has also won himself a new girlfriend from his time on the show!
Who is The Block’s Ricky Recard dating?
In an exclusive interview with our sister publication Woman’s Day in late November, the reality star said he never expected to find his life partner while competing on The Block – but was so grateful he did.
“People spend their whole lives looking for their soulmate and someone to love, so no matter what happened on that auction day, I was always going to come away a winner,” said Ricky.
Partner Erin says that while there was an instant spark, the couple focused on “forming a friendship” first.
“After the show finished, me and Erin stayed in touch. I went to Mexico for a couple of weeks and we spoke every day – and after a couple of tequilas on the beach, I got the Dutch courage to FaceTime Erin and we just started speaking every day from that point,” he shared with the publication.
“Then, by the time I got back, we were destined to meet up and ever since then, we’ve just been madly in love!”
While the lovebirds are still taking each day as it comes, they admit that they do plan on living together, with Ricky stepping up as a stepdad to Erin’s two children.
“I think I’m just going to see how raising two young boys that aren’t my own is and see how that goes. But Erin’s happy and I’m happy and I reckon it might work just fine,” Ricky shares.
Shortly after The Block auction, Ricky took to his Instagram account to pen a heartfelt tribute to his girlfriend, makeup artist Erin Lee.
“Thanks babe for all your constant love and support you have given me over the past four months…I never would have thought I’d be on The Block let alone fall in love,” he wrote.
“Can’t wait for our next adventure and can’t wait to do life with you. When you know. You know,” he added.
While it is currently unclear when exactly their romance began, they went public with their relationship in a sweet selfie shared on social media on August 28.
“Sometimes the path we never planned leads us to brighter things and the happiness we always needed. Trust the journey 😊✨,” Erin captioned the post at the time.
In a follow-up interview with The Fox’s Fifi, Fev & Nick, Ricky shed new light on how his relationship began.
“I was lucky enough to meet Erin just before filming started on The Block, on one of the launching days we had down there [at Phillip Island].”
He joked that while he was still unsure what made his new beau attracted to him, he wasn’t complaining!
“The Block is apparently good for a couple of things, it’s not only building dream houses for potential families but also a love store there as well. We’re very happy!”
However, their relationship hasn’t all been smooth sailing, with Ricky’s ex-girlfriend Lauren Smith revealing to the Daily Mail that she had been “absolutely blindsided” by being broken up with shortly after filming had wrapped.
“I spent three months after his dogs and his house while also helping his employees with the business,” she shared with the publication, also revealing that they had planned to go on a trip to Mexico for her birthday at the beginning of July when Ricky returned home.
While she ultimately decided to go on the holiday anyway, she revealed that she discovered while she was out of the country that Ricky “had apparently begun a [new] relationship with Erin.”
But in his interview with Woman’s Day, Ricky shared his side of the story.
“I was in a relationship but I wasn’t 100 percent happy in that relationship and I definitely wasn’t in love, that’s for sure. I needed that time away to realise there are things out there that are more important and I was just lucky to find love at the end of it,” said the reality star.
“There are two sides to every story. Me and Erin knew we hadn’t done anything wrong,” he added.
Curiously, Ricky previously hinted to New Idea that he was dating someone that he met AFTER he filmed The Block.
“She didn’t know I was on The Block when we started seeing each other,” he shared at the time.
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