From series one to five, here’s where the Married at First Sight UK couples are now.

By Grace Henry

Published: Tuesday, 31 August 2021 at 12:00 am

A new series of Married at First Sight UK has now started on E4, and it’s already looking like it could be the show’s juiciest season yet.

The Married at First Sight experts recently revealed how they’ve “spiced up” the new series, telling RadioTimes.com exclusively they’ve adopted some practices from the Australian series, such as the commitment ceremony, intimate dinners and so on.

Sex therapist Charlene Douglas has also joined the show, and psychologist Mel Schilling has moved over to the series from the popular Australian version of the franchise.

With eight new couples testing out whether they can indeed get married at first sight and have a lasting relationship on the new series, which kicked off on 30th August, it makes us wonder what happened to the previous couples who appeared on the show.

Viewers might be surprised to hear that the 2020 series had a 75 per cent success rate, with three out of the four couples still together, which has only added pressure to the experts for this year.

During an interview, professional matchmaker Paul C Brunson told us: “What really doesn’t get talked about enough is that we had a 75 per cent success rate last year. There were four couples and three of them are still together to this day – and we just had the first UK baby!”

Ally and Paul, who were due to get married on the show before lockdown happened, ended up meeting up in real life. They now live together and welcomed their first child in June.

Paul continued: “So there’s a lot that we have to live up to in this series!” before hinting at this year’s relationships.

“There are the love stories, great love stories. You’re going to have to wait and see. You will not be disappointed,” he said.

As the series continues, here’s a look at all the past couples and where they are now, from series one stars Kate and Jack, to Shareen and David, who appeared on the show last year.

Series 5 

Shareen and David – Divorced

Shareen and David were matched on the 2020 series of MaFS.

At 56-year-old, David – a sales director from Solihull, David – and Shareen, 47, made history as the oldest couple to ever be matched on the show.

The pair seemed to have a lot in common in the beginning, but things quickly changed on their honeymoon.

Shareen wasn’t happy with his tattoos and survival kit containing massage oil, burning scents and 30 condoms.

Fans struggled to survive the shambles between David and Shareen, with many taking to social media to voice their concerns.

It will probably come as no surprise to fans then that the pair are no longer together.

Nevertheless, David did come to Shareen’s defence on Twitter after the show, as some fans accused of her using the show for fame.

Responding to a fan who was sticking up for Shareen, he wrote: “Totally agree, sad we didn’t better connect, but that’s life and the risk we accepted coming into this.”

Shareen also opened up about her marriage to David, saying it was over in 48 hours.

In a face-to-face with the psychologist, Shareen said: “From day two, I knew there was a fundamental difference between us.

“The whole prepping and bag thing in case something bad happens – I feel nothing for that kind of world or that kind of mindset.”

Michelle and Owen – Still married

Channel 4

Primary school teacher Michelle, 25, and IT manager Owen Jenkins, 31, seemingly hit it off from the get go.

She instantly felt “calmer” when she saw him and he was definitely attracted to her. However, the pair soon realised they disagreed on a lot of things when they moved in together at Owen’s parents’ house in Sheffield.

One year since the show, and Michelle and Owen are still married.

They have a joint Instagram account where they share loved up photos. Michelle officially changed her surname to Jenkins on her passport, and the pair met up with unseen couple Ally and Paul and their new baby over the summer.

Very cute stuff!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Owen and Michelle MAFS (@mafs_owenandmichelle)

Series 4

Steph and Jonathan – Divorced

They were the first couple to be matched on series four of the dating show, but unfortunately their marriage wasn’t a match made in heaven.

From their honeymoon, it looked like things were off between them and the couple decided to call it quits at the final decision.

Speaking about their split, Steph said: “No regrets, weirdly. It’s a shame it didn’t work. I don’t think finding a husband is a thing that needs to happen.”

Verity and Jack – Separated

Channel 4

Things looked promising for Verity and Jack. However, Jack later confirmed onscreen that their paring was over, because of “a missing jigsaw puzzle”.

He said: “The last time I saw Verity was two weeks ago where I decided that we left it there and go our separate ways.

“It was hard making that decision and seeing someone get hurt. She is such an amazing girl, but I didn’t have that connection, that missing jigsaw puzzle, unfortunately we didn’t have that.”

Speaking about their divorce, a tearful Verity said: “I really tried and I thought we were in it together, and were both gonna work at it.”

Series 3

Harriet and Richard – Divorced

Channel 4

When it came to science, Harriet and Richard seemed like the perfect match on paper.

But sadly, it just wasn’t meant to be.

In the series finale, they filed for divorce after sleeping in separate bedrooms just a week into living together.

Speaking to the experts after making the decision to divorce, Harriet said: “Obviously I didn’t want, expect it to end in divorce so I think I definitely leave with a heavy heart.”

The feelings weren’t mutual though, as police officer Richard, 28, admitted he would have liked to give it longer.

“It feels so rubbish to kind of not make your wife feel that way. I think deflated just hits the nail on the head,” he said.

Stephanie and Ben – Separated

Channel 4

Their chemistry was instant, with both feeling as though they’d met their perfect match.

But the cracks started to show when they moved in together.

Ben got cold feet and ran off to Portugal. They managed to patch things up when millionaire Ben whisked Steph away to one of his apartments in Cyprus.

However, one week after the show, Ben revealed he’d left her and as their divorce finalised, Ben went into the Celebrity Big Brother home and revealed that he was having a baby with his mystery girlfriend.

Series two

Lucie and Steve – Divorced

The couple split after six weeks together, but have remained friends. They regularly meet up for a chat over coffee.

Melissa and Clark – Divorced

Channel 4

Things looked strong for Melissa and Clark. The duo went through with their wedding and even moved in together at Melissa’s London home. However, they didn’t last and split after just five months.

Sara and Adam – Divorced

It looked like it was completely over for Sara and Adam, after the pair had a huge fight on camera as Adam got drunk on their honeymoon. Nevertheless, they moved in together.

Twelve months later, however, they got divorced due to lack of chemistry.

Caroline and Adam – Divorced

Channel 4

Caroline and Adam made some steps in their relationship, moving in together and even getting a pet rabbit.

However, they split after a year and Caroline has since found love with a new man.

Series one

Emma and James – Divorced

Channel 4

They were the first ever couple to walk down the aisle on the show, however, things just didn’t last for Emma and James.

The pair ended their marriage 34 weeks after the wedding, admitting they weren’t sexually attracted to each other.

Sam and Jack – Never married

Sam and Jack didn’t even go through with their wedding. Sam’s family pressured her to back out and the pair ended up dating away from the show. However, it just wasn’t meant to be and they split within four months.

Kate and Jason – Annulled

The couple decided to go through with their wedding, however, they broke up just days after because Jason was caught using Tinder.

Jason has since remarried, while Kate is currently single.

Married at First Sight UK airs Monday – Thursdays at 9pm on E4. Check out what else is on with our TV Guide  or visit our hub for more Entertainment news.

---