Stevi Nichole is opening up about her romance with her Iranian husband-to-be Mahdi on the latest season of 90 Day Fiancé. 

The 37-year-old English teacher and artist from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, connected with Mahdi, 26, when he enrolled in out of her online classes. They soon arranged to meet in person in Turkey, where Mahdi proposed. Now, he’s in the U.S., where he’s taking the first step toward building a life with Stevi. If the pair does make it down the aisle, Mahdi won’t just be stepping into a new role as a husband. He’ll also be taking on the job of stepdad to Stevi’s two kids. 

Stevi’s kids aren’t on ’90 Day Fiancé for privacy reasons 

When Stevi introduced herself to 90 Day Fiancé viewers, she mentioned that she had two children. But beyond that, she hasn’t shared any details about her kids, who do not appear on the TLC series, or her past relationship. 

In a April 28 Q&A on her Instagram Story, Stevi shed some more light on why her children are not part of 90 Day Fiancé. 

“You won’t see them on this season,” she responded to a fan who wanted to know if Stevi filmed with her kids. “I’ve chosen to keep them off-camera to protect their privacy, because let’s be honest, the world can be cruel sometimes.”

In addition to keeping her kids off of TV, Stevi has not shared any photos of her children on her public Instagram account or her TikTok. 

The TLC personality says her kids are ‘completely uninterested in the drama’ 

Stevi went on to say that her children had little interest in their mom’s new reality TV career.

“They’re happy, loved, protected, and completely uninterested in the drama – they’ve got their own busy little lives and couldn’t care less about who said what on TV,” Stevi said. 

Not every 90 Day Fiancé parent keeps their offspring away from the camera. Jessica, who is also part of the season 11 cast with her Colombian fiancé Juan, does let the show’s cameras film her children. Stevi stressed that she wasn’t judging people who did allow their kids to appear on TV. (In fact, she and Jessica have shared supportive comments on each other’s Instagram accounts.) 

“I totally respect every parent’s choices,” Stevi continued. “But for now, mine are busy creating their own wonderful lives! We will see what the future holds.”  

While many 90 Day cast members do allow their children to be on the show, Stevi is not the first to choose a more private path for her kids. Stacey Silva, who was most recently on 90 Day: The Last Resort Season 2, has two sons who mostly stay out of public eye. Tigerlily, who appeared on the last season of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, also kept her two kids from her first marriage out of the spotlight.  

New episodes of 90 Day Fiancé Season 11 air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on TLC.

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