Below Deck Med Chief Stew Katie Flood Details Her "Passionate" Romance with Jack Stirrup

Katie Flood may be new to Below Deck Mediterranean, joining the crew for the first time in Season 6, but the chief stew has long had a major connection to the franchise.

In the Below Deck Med Season 6 premiere, it was revealed that Katie had once dated Season 4 deckhand Jack Stirrup (clip above). "I love Jack. Like, he actually got my face tattooed on his arm. It had been like 10 days of us knowing each other. I was just like, 'What the actual f--k?'" Katie said of her relationship with Jack during an interview in the episode. "We were just so young, too passionate, never gonna work. But, like, at least we were together for about a year-and-a-half, you know? It kind of makes it worth it, right?"

Katie opened up more about her romance with Jack during an interview with The Daily Dish prior to the Below Deck Med Season 6 premiere, sharing that they had met while on yachting jobs in Thailand, which just so happens to be where Jack said he got that tattoo of the chief stew while he was "f--king" wasted, as we saw in the episode.

"We met in Thailand. Both of our boats were in Thailand. And it was, like, the marina that we were in, there was this one little bar that all the yacht crew would go to," Katie recalled of meeting Jack. "And so you just end up meeting, like, everyone on all the boats in the marina. And yeah. That's what happened."

According to Katie, she and Jack were "young and naive" when they were together, which was illustrated by the fact that he got a tattoo of her face shortly after meeting. "With me and Jack, we were really just living in the moment. And it was such a crazy time in my life. Like, I was 23, I think? Turning 24. I don't even remember now. But it was really, yeah, wild, passionate. We were so madly in love," Katie said. "He's a crazy motherf--ker. And that's what he's tattooed on his arm. So that's that. I'll be with him for life now. I don't think his future ex-girlfriends [liked] that."

Given the "passionate kind of love" she and Jack experienced, as Katie described it, the chief stew said that she knew that the relationship "was never gonna work in the end." "You know what Jack's like. He's such a lad, you know? He likes a good time. He was a really good boyfriend up until the end," she said. "But I'm sure he was so, so sick about me. And just, yeah. It didn't work out. But it's all good."

When Katie found out that Jack was going to be a part of the Below Deck Med Season 4 crew, it took her a while before she was ready to see her ex again on the show. "I didn't watch it for a very long time. Maybe not until, like, a year after it aired, because I just knew I'd get annoyed watching him, you know?" she explained. "But it was actually really funny when I watched him. Like, my mom was watching the show. And she's like, 'It's exactly how he is. Like, it's him to a tee.' So it was good. I actually enjoyed it."

Jack surprised fans following his time on Below Deck Med with the news that he had welcomed his first child, son Phoenix Sidney Stirrup, with girlfriend Kelly Hidge in April 2020. However, Katie said that she always knew Jack would start a family one day. "He's wanted to be a dad for so long. It's super funny, 'cause he comes across as such a, like, playboy and a real lad and likes a good time. But he's actually a really big family person. And he has such a beautiful soul. And he's always wanted a family," she shared. "So I'm so happy for him. And he loves his kid so much. So, yeah, it's really cool to see that."

As for Katie and Jack, the two still keep in touch today. "You know what? Like, I love Jack to this day. He'll always be such a big part of my life. Like, we still chat every now and then. We have a good relationship now, you know?" Katie shared. "It's funny. We weren't big for ages. And every now and then, we'll just pick up the phone and just have hour-long conversations about life and what's going on. So he's someone I will always hold in my heart."

Katie admitted that it took some time for her and Jack to transition from being a couple to just friends. "Don't get me wrong; it took a few years for us to get to that place," she said. "I think as most ex-boyfriend and girlfriend or any relationship goes through, we went through, I guess, our not really speaking to each other time and, you know, hating on each other time." 

But time really did heal all wounds for these onetime boatmantic partners. "I think it just comes with age, you know? You just accept that you really loved this person once upon a time. And you'll always have love for them," Katie shared. "I always want the best for him. And yeah. We still really get along. So it's just nice to have somebody like that in your life."

Want more Below Deck Med? Season 6 airs Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo with early access to new episodes on Peacock.