Married at First Sight UK returned to our screens last night, bringing a much-needed dose of drama, dinner parties, and — hopefully — not too many divorces.
The popular reality series, which airs on E4, follows the journey of couples who meet for the first time on their wedding day after being set up by experts.
After making the bold decision, the strangers turned spouses are left to settle into marital bliss (or abyss). With a camera crew following their every move, we witness their honeymoons, moving in together, and intense therapy sessions.
Alongside them on the journey are relationship gurus Mel Schilling, Paul C Brunson, and Charlene Douglas, who help them navigate their relationships.
Series nine sees a cast of 16 contestants — including one of the best matches ever — putting themselves up for the challenge.
But is it all just entertaining TV, or does the relationship experiment it portrays actually work?
The success rate is varied, but let’s focus on those that got their happily ever after.
Here are the MAFS UK couples that are still together as of 2024…
Shona Manderson and Matt Pilmoor (Series 8)
The relationship experts can’t take credit for Shona Manderson and Matt Pilmoor. Although they technically did meet in the series, they were both initially married to other people.
Shona, 32, was matched with Brad Skelly, but they were removed from the process after experts worried their relationship was becoming toxic.
Meanwhile, Matt, 30, joined midway through the process with Adrienne Naylor after Shona’s departure. By the reunion dinner party, both relationships were very much over, and so it made way for a new connection to form between them.
Speaking about their relationship, Shona told OK!: ‘When you know, you know, and it just works.’ The pair have shared their intention to get married and have babies in the near future.
Tasha Jay and Paul Liba (Series 8)
This time we have the experts to thank for a successful match, as Tasha Jay and Paul Liba followed the traditional path of the series.
They wed at first sight and went on a journey to understand each other.
During the process, the couple faced their fair share of bumps in the road as can be expected. In one dramatic episode, Tasha, 26, left 27-year-old Paul’s family home without saying goodbye to his mum due to illness, which caused a lot of upset.
She also faced further disapproval from Paul’s friends. However, in the end, Paul chose to trust his own feelings and committed to a future together in the final vow renewal.
It turned out to be a good decision as the couple celebrated their first anniversary together earlier this year. Tasha wrote at the time: ‘A year ago today we both said I do and now we can’t imagine life without each other.
‘The first anniversary of many🤍 Here’s to the future.’
Jenna Robinson and Zoe Clifton (Series 7)
Jenna Robinson and Zoe Clifton made MAFS history in the 2022 series, as the first lesbian couple on the show.
Their biggest obstacle came with Zoe, 32, struggling to come to terms with 34-year-old Jenna’s vegan lifestyle. They managed to work through their differences, and ended up being the only couple to survive their series.
‘The problems we had in the experiment just weren’t an issue when we were back in the real world,’ Zoe told Metro.co.uk.
Despite their relatively easy transition to the real world, the couple still decided to remove their wedding bands.
Jenna explained: ‘Between us, we decided that we just wanted to be a normal couple and date. The process definitely sped things up for us and gave us a good start but we wanted to date.’
After taking it back to basics, they made the ultimate commitment to each other once more in June, with Zoe proposing to Jenna.
After accepting, Jenna wrote on Instagram: ‘Not to be cliché but I genuinely didn’t think that this type of love actually existed, to have someone who loves you, cares and respects you as much as you do them, is the most incredible feeling.. and now I get to marry my best friend instead of a stranger!’
Weddings on MAFS are not legally binding, so now they plan to tie the knot for real.
Tayah and Adam Aveling (Series 6)
Tayah and Adam Aveling have been inseparable ever since they met on the 2021 series of MAFS.
The couple confessed their love for each other after just one week in the experiment and Adam, who had never had a relationship before, called her his ‘first and last love’.
Adam, 29, got down on one knee and proposed to Tayah, 28, in the final vow renewal of the show.
The couple’s legal wedding plans were put on hold when Tayah gave birth to their daughter Beau Emily Aveling in October 2022, but they finally made it official in December.
Tayah described it as ‘the best day ever’, adding: ‘And when Beau was born of course!!’
Their TV wedding was boycotted by Tayah’s father, but the newlywed has since revealed that she’s happy he didn’t attend.
Michelle Walder and Owen Jenkins (Series 5)
Michelle Walder and Owen Jenkins met on the 2020 series on MAFS, and are still going strong four years later.
The couple share a joint Instagram account where they often post updates on their adventures, from holidays, to theatre trips. Most excitedly, they announced the arrival of their daughter Jess in December, describing her as ‘the best Christmas gift in the world 🎁.’
Owen, 36, previously revealed that their life together all began with a few pints down the pub.
After sinking a couple, he saw an advert for the series while scrolling on his phone. He said to his work friend: ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if I signed up?’
‘A few beers later when I was back at home I sent in the application, and the rest is history,’ he recalled to The Sun.
Meanwhile, Michelle, 30, decided to apply after becoming sick of dating apps.
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Married at First Sight airs at 9pm on E4 every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
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