Reality TV addicts, Married at First Sight UK is finally back.
Yes, it's that time of year again. 18 singles will embark upon marriages with a match decided by experts, and a new series will see them navigate the highs and lows of their new relationship, where they will ultimately decide whether to stay married or leave the experiment.
MAFS UK experts, matchmakers and coaches Paul C Brunson, Charlene Douglas and Mel Schilling are back to do the matching, and we will then see our couples head off on their honeymoon, before moving in together ā which is where the real work begins.
When does Married At First Sight UK start?
The start date for 2025's rendition of Married At First Sight UK has officially been confirmed. The new series will start on E4 on Sunday 21 September at 9pm.
Here's your full briefing on each member of the Married at First Sight UK cast ā we can't wait to predict which couples will go the distance and which ones will give us the best servings of drama.
Meet the MAFS UK 2025 cast
- Dean, 31, a team building host from Feltham
- Paul, 60, retired, Edinburgh
- Bailey, 36, a sales manager from St Albans
- Divarni, 29, a musician from London
- Neelima (AKA Nelly), 30, a cosmetic dentist from Manchester
- Anita, 54, an operations manager from Durham
- Rebecca, 32, an aesthetics nurse from Liverpool
- Joe, 31, a personal trainer from Huddersfield
- Steven, 34, an investment banking manager from Essex
- Ashley, 35, an operations director from Bridgend
- Keye, 33, a marketing manager from South West London
- Julia-Ruth, 29, a professional dancer from New Zealand
- Leah, 35, a business owner from Liverpool
- Maeve, 29, an aesthetics practitioner from Newcastle
- Grace, 31, a midwife in mental heath services from Norwich
- Leigh, 30, an NHS clinical coder from Romford
- Sarah, 31, a recruitment consultant from Aberdeen
- Davide, 33, a cabin crew member from Portugal
The MAFS UK couples
So far, we know that the following couples have been matched up:
- Paul and Anita
- Divarni and Julia-Ruth
- Keye and Davide
- Dean and Sarah
The MAFS UK 2025 cast: a deep dive
From: Durham
Occupation: Operations manager
Instagram: @anitabarker12
Married to: Paul
Family-focused Anita is looking for a āsilver foxā to join her family ā she's a mother of two and grandmother to three. She's been through the ringer, having lost her mother and her job, and then navigating the breakdown of a relationship of 17 years. Anita embarked on many different adventures after this, including learning how to fly a helicopter, taking a solo trip to Ibiza and fire eating. She's an adventurous gal. Following her divorce, she is looking for love once more. Her Insta bio reads: āItās not about growing old gracefully, itās about living life fiercelyā.
From: Liverpool
Occupation: Business owner
Instagram: @lmt________
A successful business owner and lover of sports and travel, Leah values her family and living her life to the fullest. She dated men without feeling the spark she wanted, and realised at 25 that she was attracted to women, and is looking for a female partner who can match her spontaneity and zest for life, as well as fitting into her family dynamic.
From: Essex
Occupation: Investment banking manager
Instagram: @stevespringett4
As well as holding down a high-pressure career in investment banking, Essex cheeky chappy Steven is also a dad of two and enjoys football, acting and writing. A jack of all trades.
He has been single for over a year, putting his children and career first, but Steven now feels ready to seek out his perfect match, which is a confident bubbly woman who will give as good as she gets, as well as a lasting romance and stability.
From: South West London
Occupation: Marketing manager
Instagram: @keyeluke
Married to: Davide
Keye has taken some time off his search for love, after his last serious relationship ended in 2018, but he is back on a mission now. He works in advertising, which is a rather high-pressure industry, and enjoys the finer things in life, and is ready to share this with a partner.
We think he could be a great match for Davide, who also experienced a relationship breakdown more recently ā could the pair bond over their difficult pasts and build a wonderful future together?
From: Portugal
Occupation: Ex cabin crew member
Instagram: @daveanica
Married to: Keye
Born in Portugal and then raised in Paris, Davide is the meaning of chic, and believes his romantic personality harks back to growing up in the city of love. Intriguing. He was due to get married earlier this year, and when the wedding didn't go ahead he was left heartbroken.
Davide is now ready to find and marry the love of his life, who must be a cat lover above all things, as well as handsome and able to match his romantic vibes. He's been matched with Keye, who seems a really good match for him in terms of life experiences and goals.
From: Romford
Occupation: NHS clinical coder
A girl after our own heart, Leigh is sick and tired of dating app culture and is ready for something real (and IRL). She also was engaged, but it sadly didn't work out, and took its toll of Leigh's confidence in herself and finding the right partner.
Now, she's ready to continue her search, to find someone who loves her āgirly girlā vibes, who is also ambitious and upbeat and ready to match her energy. We've got everything crossed for her.
From: Manchester
Occupation: Cosmetic dentist
Instagram: @drnellyp
Nicknamed Nelly and working at one of Manchester's leading dental clinics, she is a woman on a mission in all areas of her life. She is fiercely loyal to all that she holds dear and is driven to protect both loved ones and herself.
She's been single for a year and has enjoyed the self-improvement and love that comes with that, but is now ready to meet her forever love ā but is not willing to settle for less than what she feels she deserves. So don't cross her. Nelly is ultimately looking for the right woman who is ānot intimidated by a woman who knows exactly who she is.ā
From: Aberdeen
Occupation: Recruitment consultant
Instagram: @sarahgillanders_x
Married to: Dean
Sarah is keen to settle down with the nicest guy ever, and we are definitely rooting for her. After losing her mum, it became more and more important to find the exact right person to spend the rest of her life with. The pressure is on, seeing as it feels like everyone around her is getting married, and she also feels like she has dated all of the eligible men in her local area and needs a change.
Her dad is rooting for her, as long as he gets to give his approval, and Sarah is set on finding the one. She has been matched with Dean, who ā according to the trailer ā seems to be the happy-go-lucky guy that she's looking for. He even sung her a song on their wedding day, that he wrote himself! We'll see if their union goes the distance, though.
From: Feltham
Occupation: Team building host
Instagram: @vary_dean
Married to: Sarah
Inspired by his parents' own fairytale romance, Dean is all for a happily ever after with his perfect woman. He is most certainly a hopeless romantic, having once before flown to Venice for a first date.
He is certainly a positive-minded soul, and has brought that energy into his search for love, and has also had careers in comedy, magic, darts, and many more. We like a man who can handle and thrive off variety.
We are excited to see how Sarah and Dean vibe off each other. She is looking for āthe nicest guy in the worldā, but will she be won over by his huge zest for life and penchant for romantic gestures? Only time will tell.
From: Norwich
Occupation: Midwife in mental heath services
Instagram: @_geelaw
Having fallen into many a situationship, Grace fears that she comes across intimidating to men in a dating situation. But we all know any man who may feel like that is a red flag in themselves, and we hope that Grace finds the love that she deserves.
She has navigated the true trials and tribulations of single life, once asking a taxi driver to voice note her date to explain why it was so bad. Her last long-term relationship with 2023 and she is looking for something real, preferably someone who can keep up with her sense of humour and is tall, dark and handsome.
From: London
Occupation: Musician
Instagram: @divarnigrocebalogun
Married to: Julia-Ruth
Known as a ladies man, a poet, a huge fan of Marvel and also a dad of one, Divarni has always struggled to keep a relationship going long term. He's been single for two years now, and is looking for his perfect match.
We know that he's been matched with Julia-Ruth, who is also working in the entertainment industry as a professional dancer. Will they find their perfect rhythm (geddit?) or will they fall apart ā the trailer seems to foreshadow tension between the two, but it could go either way.
From: New Zealand
Occupation: Professional dancer
Instagram: @julee_aaah
Julia-Ruth is originally from South Africa but also calls the UK and New Zealand home. She was adopted at 16 years old by her sister, who gave her the strong support system that she needed. After some challenges in early life she is now smashing it as a professional dancer.
This isn't her first foray into reality TV. Julia-Ruth recently appeared on a dating TV show called Are You The One? which saw her take part in a matchmaking process involving single people across the world. The relationship she was in from that show didn't last, and now she's looking for a partnership that will last forever.
Her top priority is to break her cycle of choosing the wrong type of man, and the tough relationships that followed ā let's hope that Divarni is exactly that for her.
From: St Albans
Occupation: Sales manager
Instagram: @bigbearbai
Bailey has got some serious vibes about him. He started a micro-brewery in Brighton, loves both festivals and meditation as well as pub trips and lazy Sundays. Sound perfect?
He has been single for a year and is looking for a partner who won't mind being a role model and values kindness and family, as he has a three-year-old daughter.
From: Newcastle
Occupation: Aesthetics Practitioner
Instagram: @maevemathieson
Certainly a rebel at heart, Maeve was something of a rebel growing up, disagreeing with her parents over her romantic matches. But those days are over. She is now a proud mum to her son Archie and is looking for someone who appreciates her and her self-assured attitude.
She wants to see effort being made and a mature relationship, and we feel like she really deserves to find it, and will be tuning in to find out how she fares.
From: Edinburgh
Occupation: Retired
Instagram: @paul.richo_
Married to: Anita
After a divorce in 2011, dad of three and Scottish-born Paul is looking for his next love. He moved to Bath from Scotland when he was 18, and has lived there since, and is all about living life to the max.
He's so far stuck to first dates on the apps, and is ready to take things further and find something real and long-term. Him and Anita have been confirmed as one of the married couples already, and we wish them the best of luck!
From: Liverpool
Occupation: Aesthetics nurse and clinic owner
Instagram: @bec.fen
Self-proclaimed āgirl bossā Rebecca is first and foremost a dog mum to cockapoo Dotty, and is also very much a gym bunny. Running her own business has led her to be an independent woman who doesn't need a man ā but she'd quite like one all the same.
She's dealt with a whirlwind romance and broken engagement, and has been single for a year. So Rebeeca is now ready for the one, who will be her partner and support as she continues her smashing her āgirl bossā life.
From: Bridgend
Occupation: Operations director
Ashley has worked all around the world in marine construction, and is also a dad of one and has had many adventures in the worlds of rugby, surfing and camping. He now wants to bring a partner for life along for the ride.
In the past, he's dated a Miss Universe, and has had a series of relationships, but is now very ready to settle down. His requirements for his perfect partner are as follows: a gym and pub lover, preferably blonde with bright eyes and a beautiful smile.
From: Huddersfield
Occupation: Personal trainer
Instagram: @joe_andthegym
Having spent recent years travelling the world, and having many a holiday romance, Joe is ready to hang up his party hat and settle down. This moment was helped along by a heart to heart with his mum.
He may be done with the party scene, but he's still looking for a fun-loving partner in crime. Someone to match his energy and bring out the best in him.
MAFS UK 2025 trailer
Watch below for a taster of the MAFS UK tea to come.
