Ukrainian couple who handcuffed themselves for 123 days to save their relationship finally break up
- 19 Jun 2021
Gulf Today Report
The singer Paul Young’s song ‘Every time you go away you take a piece of me with you’ certainly does not apply here.
Given half a chance, the duo who have heaved into sight in this case would like to run from each other.
Being physically close to your partner need not necessarily mean that you are mentally on the same page, or share the same vibes and feelings as Ukrainian couple Alexandr Kudlay and Viktoria Pustovitova discovered, much to their disappointment.
The duo decided to part ways on national television after handcuffing themselves together for 123 days in a last-ditch, unique experiment to stave off a breakup.
The experiment had thrown up some harsh realities unpalatable to both.
The young couple from the eastern city of Kharkiv decided to handcuff themselves together on Valentine's Day.
Throughout the experiment, which they documented to a growing social media following, they did everything together, including grocery shopping. They took turns to use the bathroom and take showers.
But missing were the oodles of affection, lovey-dovey words and, above all, personal space.
Pustovitova said personal space is what she missed most, although she also felt her boyfriend did not pay her enough attention while they were chained together.
Pustovitova, who initially resisted the handcuff idea, shed tears as she discussed the latest break-up.
"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 Kyiv.
"We stayed together all day, I did not receive any attention from Alexandr because we were constantly together. He did not tell me: 'I miss you', while 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 cuffs helped him understand that the two were not "like-minded people".
"We are not on the same wavelength, we are totally different," the 33-year-old car salesman said.
The couple plan to sell the handcuffs in an online auction and donate part of the money to charity.
They had the bonds removed in front of Ukrainian TV news channels and a representative from a Ukrainian record book, who said no couple in the world had managed a similar feat.
Their last photo on Instagram, where they have more than 7,800 followers, showed the couple standing apart, looking at the floor.
