Glued to MAFS UK already? You're not alone. This season's batch of blindly-matched contestants has finally arrived on our screens, and we're already curious about which couples are still together (or not).
ICYMI (where have you been?), Married At First Sight UK is the show that pairs up looking-for-love singles and requires them to walk down the aisle and get ‘married’… having never met each other before. The couples take on various challenges set by relationship experts, and by the end of the show decide if they actually want to be together or not. Naturally, it makes for a compelling watch.
One such couple is MAFS UK's Anita and Paul, who were the final couple to marry on this year's series. Anita, 54, is an operations manager from Durham, who said she wanted to find a “silver fox”. Single following a divorce after 17 years of marriage, she's embarked on many different adventures in her 50s – including learning how to fly a helicopter, taking a solo trip to Ibiza and even trying fire eating. She's a mother of two and a grandmother to three, too.
Scottish-born Paul, 60, was also looking for his next love. He got divorced in 2011, lives in Bath and is a dad of three. He shared that he was looking for a serious relationship with someone he could live life to the fullest with. So far, so cute.
The show's matchmakers Paul C Brunson, Charlene Douglas and Mel Schilling say they coupled up Anita and Paul because of their shared values and love of adventure… but were these two the perfect match?
Four couples have been matched so far.
Anita and Paul's MAFS UK journey so far
It safe to say things haven't exactly been smooth sailing between MAFS UK's Anita and Paul, with Anita immediately admitting she didn't feel the spark at the altar. "First impressions of Paul… he’s not the silver fox I had in mind. He’s not the type I’d gravitate to," she said at the time. Uh oh.
Paul meanwhile, seemed pretty pleased with his bride. "I’m feeling very relieved. Anita is very attractive," he said.
While Anita still had her reservations, she did spend time at the reception speaking to Paul's daughter, Emily, who told her a bit more about his sensitive side. Later, the couple had a bit of a heart to heart, with Paul admitting he had become guarded due to past relationships. The pair agreed they wanted to get to know each other further, though Anita still seemed concerned about a lack of attraction between them.
The pair then headed off on their honeymoon to Cape Verde… where things didn't seem to be improving. Particularly, Anita was put off by Paul's big personality.
“He’s loud, he’s brash… There’s no spark there but he’s definitely a gentleman,” she said.
Later, at dinner, Anita tried to get to know Paul a bit more by asking him about his previous relationships. After he shared that he hadn't actually had a girlfriend for 15 years – and didn't seem to have a real answer for what the concept of marriage meant to him – she started to question his reason for being on the show.
“It's a very long time to be single then all of a sudden wanting a wife,” she told the cameras. She also seemed concerned that Paul didn't want to ask her any questions during dinner, instead saying that he wanted her to tell her things without him having to ask. The conversation got a little heated, with Paul saying he had joined the show as an ‘experiment’, rather than to find love.
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Are MAFS UK's Anita and Paul still together?
It remains to be seen whether Anita and Paul are still together, since we'll only find out by watching the show. But it's not exactly looking positive.
The pair are still following each other on Instagram, but that may be to keep up appearances until the outcome is revealed on the show.
In a teaser for the next episode, Anita is seen getting upset with Paul for not knowing her children's names, before turning up to the first dinner party alone. Only time will tell what the future holds for these two.
Well, that wasn't the best start…
