After Bling Empire, Kelly Is Focusing On "Self-Healing"

On Bling Empire, Kelly Mi Li's story mostly revolved around her tumultuous relationship with her actor boyfriend Andrew Gray. Episode 1 ended in tears — with Andrew screaming at Kelly over the phone in Paris — but after filming Bling Empire, Kelly tells Bustle that she's in a happier place now. "The filming happened during a very difficult and dark time of our lives," she explains. "I think it kind of magnified [our issues]."

As explored on the show, after the screaming incident, Kelly and Andrew attended couples therapy and decided to take a break and separate their living spaces. Kelly confirms that they are indeed still living apart, and they've begun to go to individual therapists. "One of our big issues was a codependence," she explains. Right now, "it's just about being the best versions of ourselves and ... self-care and self-healing."

But she also confirms that despite the ups and downs, she and Andrew are still dating. "Our love for each other is so strong and we keep wanting to work it out. The show really taught us that we have to face a lot of our own demons," she says. "We're still together and we're doing better than ever ... at the end of the day, a relationship requires work, like everything else in life."

Halfway through the show Kelly did seem to officially break if off with Andrew, and even agreed to go on a date with castmate Kevin. Ultimately, however, Kelly says that she didn't feel "a spark" with Kevin, and sees him more as "a friend and a brother." There are no hard feelings though, and they still talk about once a week. "We talk about different [things], like business things as well as his personal relationships," she says. "I want him to be happy, and I want him to find love."

And even though Kelly saw a fortune teller who hinted that it's fine to fall in love with someone new, Kelly believes the advice can apply to her relationship with Andrew. "Being with somebody for a very long time, you fall in love with different versions of them," she says. She adds that she respects couples who have been together for decades because they're "there for [each other] — the ups and downs and everything in between."

"It's a different version of Andrew that I'm seeing [now]," she explains. He's "different than the version [he was] when we filmed the show." She adds that "he's a lot calmer, and there's times that he's even trying to calm me down."

Outside of her love life, Kelly's career as a media company executive continues to thrive. It's a facet of her life that she's hoping a potential Bling Empire Season 2 could explore. She most recently founded Wet Paws Media, a media production company; they're "in post-production right now for a little thriller that I shot during COVID called AMP House," she says. They also have a TV show called Cypher coming out in the spring in the U.S., as well as a music documentary called Immediate Family and a thriller called Afterward.