After 123 days handcuffed together to save their relationship from time to time, Ukrainians Alexandr Kudlay and Viktoria Pustovitova went their separate ways, severing their ties on national television and claiming the experience brought home some uncomfortable truths.
The couple, from the eastern city of Kharkiv, decided to handcuff each other on Valentine’s Day in a last-ditch attempt to break the cycle of separation and reconciliation.
Throughout the experiment, which they documented with a growing number of social media followers, they did everything together, from grocery shopping to cigarette breaks. They took turns using the bathroom and taking showers.
Pustovitova, who initially resisted the idea of the handcuffs, shed tears while discussing the latest breakup.
“I think it will be a good lesson for us, for other Ukrainian couples and couples abroad not to repeat what we have done,” she told Reuters in an interview in Kiev.
Pustovitova said that personal space was what she lacked the most, although she also felt that her boyfriend did not pay her enough attention while they were in chains.
“We stayed together all day. I received no attention from Alexandr as we were constantly together. He didn’t tell me: ‘I miss you’, when I would like to hear that, “said the 29-year-old beautician.
Kudlay said he did not regret resorting to desperate measures to save the relationship, adding that the handcuffs helped him realize that they were not “like-minded people.”
“We’re not on the same page, we’re totally different,” said the 33-year-old car salesman.
The couple plan to sell the handcuffs at an online auction and donate some of the money to charity.
They had the bonds withdrawn in front of Ukrainian news channels and a representative of a Ukrainian record book, who said that no couple in the world had achieved a similar feat.
Their latest photo on Instagram, where they have more than 7,800 followers, showed the couple standing apart, staring at the ground.
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