Here’s everything you need to know about the relationship experts.
A new batch of singletons are about to say “I do” when they meet their other half at the altar on season 11 of Married at First Sight Australia.
The new season premiered on 29th January on the Nine Network in Australia, and UK fans can now enjoy the episodes on E4, who have acquired the episodes.
Season 11 launched on E4 on Monday 26th February, with relationship experts John Aiken and Mel Schilling and sexologist Alessandra Rampolla matching the first set of couples – Cassandra and Tristan, and Sara and Tim.
Over the course of this season, they’ll match nine brides and nine grooms, including one same-sex couple that was matched later in the experiment due to one of the grooms leaving before the wedding.
Halfway through the experiment, the experts matched another two brides and two grooms together.
While the show is predominantly about the married couples, who head off on their honeymoon after tying the knot and enjoy dinner parties and commitment ceremonies, the expert team do play a big part in the building of each relationship.
But, who exactly are the Married at First Sight Australia experts?
Read on for everything you need to know.
Married at First Sight Australia presenters
John Aiken
Age: 53
Job: Former cricket player and relationship specialist
Instagram: @johnaikenlive
John Aiken is a former cricket player turned relationship specialist. In his cricketing days, Aiken played for Auckland and Wellington. He was a left-handed batsman who played 46 first class matches and 39 one-day matches in a career spanning 11 seasons from 1989/90 to 2000/01.
He has been an expert on Married at First Sight Australia since the show’s launch in 2015.
Mel Schilling
Age: 52
Job: Dating coach
Instagram: @mel_schilling1
Melanie Schilling specialises in human behaviour and performance. She has built a 20-year career as a therapist, business consultant and leadership coach for high-performing people.
Schilling has been an expert on MAFS Australia since 2016, and in 2021 she joined the revamped UK series alongside Paul C Brunson and Charlene Douglas.
In December 2023, Mel revealed that she’d been diagnosed with colon cancer. On Monday 26th February, the 52-year-old gave fans an update on her health, revealing on her social media that she has begun chemo treatment after having recent surgery to remove a tumour.
“So here I am, day one of chemo,” Schilling said in a video outside the Kingston Hospital in England.
Alessandra Rampolla
Age: 49
Job: Sexologist
Instagram: @alessarampolla
Alessandra is a sexologist, who started out on a news program in Puerto Rico. She has starred in various programs around the world, such as the international Emmy Award-nominated School For Husbands, seen throughout Latin America, and Sex Hospital in the UK.
Rampolla joined MAFS Australia for the eighth season in 2021, after Dr Trisha Stratford announced her departure from the show.
Married at First Sight Australia airs on E4 at 7:30pm on Mondays to Thursdays. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our hub for more Entertainment news.
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