Who are Nikki Exotika and Justin? '90 Day Fiance' Season 10 couple to start afresh after 'traumatizing' past
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Nicole Sanders aka Nikki Exotika is a social media influencer and a self-proclaimed Barbie. She is a transgender woman, making her the third trans person in the history of the '90 Day Fiance' franchise after Gabe Paboga and Cleo.
47-year-old Nikki was born on January 27, 1976, and hails from Hoboken, New Jersey, but later moved to New York.
Nikki had never met her biological father until the day he passed away when she was around 15 years old. Nikki's mother left when Nikki was very young and she was raised by her stepfather.
According to her website, Nikki has a license in cosmetology and has also taken acting, singing, music and dance classes. Nikki also participated in a documentary called 'Transtasia' in 2006.
She is a solo recording artist and has appeared on several talk shows. Nikki even formed America’s first-ever transgender pop group called Secret Girls and was trying to pitch it as a reality TV show.
Her latest single is called 'Your Body', and Nikki is currently in the process of creating more music. Meanwhile, Justin has kept his life out of the public eye but Nikki often shares his photos and videos on social media.
Nikki and Justin are travel enthusiasts and spend most of their time exploring different places. Nikki and Justin spent nearly two decades apart when he admitted he couldn't accept that Nikki was trans.
However, the distance has brought Nikki and Justin closer and after seventeen years, Justin has a more mature understanding of Nikki's gender identity and is moving to America for a shot at love and a fresh start.
How did Nikki Exotika and Justin meet?
Nikki and Justin met on a dating site in Moldova 17 years before they made their reality TV debut with '90 Day Fiance' Season 10.
While initially sparks flew, Justin couldn't accept her transgender identity and they eventually parted ways after two years of dating. However, they missed each other following their split and eventually reconciled once Justin began to better understand Nikki's gender identity.
Nikki and Justin got engaged and now the Moldova native plans to move to the United States and marry Nikki.
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How did '90 Day Fiance' star Nikki Exotika reveal her true identity to Justin?
Nikki underwent gender confirmation surgery when she was 20 years old. In a teaser clip of '90 Day Fiance', shared by Entertainment Tonight, Nikki explained that she didn't tell Justin that she was a transgender woman until they were two years into their relationship.
Nikki wasn't able to tell him and one day accidentally stated she 'used to be a man' during an argument. She recalled, "He was being lazy and he wasn’t helping me with the housework that I had to do everything."
The conversation then turned into a heated argument and in one of those arguments, she said, "Yeah, well, I have a secret to tell you. I used to be a man." She recalled in the teaser, "I traumatized him. And he went home and he was depressed for a really long time. And I felt bad about that."
'90 Day Fiance' Season 10 will premiere on October 8 at 8 pm ET on TLC.