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The Bachelor star Juan Pablo Galavis should be used to relationship scrutiny by now, but he’s facing a new torrent of it now as a cast member on Couples Therapy.

Last night’s Couples Therapy Season 5 Episode 6 saw him take serious heat for refusing to say “I love you” to Nikki Ferrell and playing the culture card (again).

The backlash came quickly and harshly from viewers, and Ferrell, who admits to being hurt by online haters, actually suspended her Twitter account.

Yet Galavis tells People that he and Ferrell are still going strong, and that the reality show and their romance in general is a process he has faith in.

Excerpts from his interview with the magazine below …

On whether the single father and Nikki Ferrell are still together: “Yes. We’re loving and missing each other a lot. (He’s in Miami; she’s in Kansas City.)

On the challenges of Couples Therapy: “It’s a process. It’s hard to get people to understand that sometimes. There’s a stigma on the word ‘therapy.'”

 

“People relate it to big problems. That’s something we have to change. Going to therapy can be very healthy. It can change the way you see things and treat others.”

On why they went on the show: “Two issues: Living apart, and me introducing Nikki to [my daughter] Camila as a girlfriend and not just a regular friend.”

“Nikki had some other things that were bothering her, but she hadn’t told me. I’m glad we went to therapy because those things were hurtful to her.”

“Couples Therapy helped save our relationship because we learned how to communicate better, understand better, be patient with each other.”

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“And for me, especially, it helped me to understand some of Nikki’s reactions towards things that are culturally different. I’m glad we did it.”

On whether he has regrets: “That’s a hard question. It depends on how I look at it. I’m glad I did it, because I know if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be together right now.”

“But when I see my family and Nikki suffer, I wish I would have met “Mi Catira” [My Blondie] at a baseball stadium eating a hot dog or at a country music concert.”

On whether the public criticism bothers him: “It doesn’t bother me at all, unless it’s someone who really knows me, and to this day, that has not happened.”

“I’m responsible for what I say, but I’m not responsible about how people interpret my situation. Different people have different opinions, and it’s okay to respect all of them.”

On how what you see when you watch Couples Therapy online is not the whole story: “A huge example was when I said, ‘Guys are more logical.'”

“Some women were offended and thought I was being arrogant. But I learned that from a session Nikki and I had with Dr. Jenn where she told me.”

“‘Juan Pablo, men are more logical while women are more sensitive.'”

“Unfortunately, the production company didn’t show the clip when Dr. Jenn had told me that, so it seems that it was my own cocky, arrogant opinion.”

On why he won’t say those three little words, no matter how hard Nikki and the public protest: “There’s definitely a culture barrier that people don’t understand.”

“In Latin culture, many words can tell a woman that you care about her: falling in love, loving her, needing her. Those words might not have a translation in English.”

“Te quiero [I like you], Te quiero mucho [I like you a lot], Te adoro [I adore you], Me encantas [McDonald’s translation is “I’m loving it”]. These mean something to Latinos.”

“They don’t mean the same to Americans.”

“I’ve learned that ‘love’ is used a lot in the States for everything: I love that burger, I love my shoes, I love a friend. To me, if it’s overused, it loses meaning.”

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