Workaholics who decided to wed on Married At First Sight after putting their love lives on hold to pursue their careers found their fledgling marriage on the rocks just weeks after tying the knot, after a spark failed to develop.
However, it looks as if Londoner Richard, 28, need not worry too much as viewers branded him ‘the perfect guy’ and urged him not to ‘settle’ for new bride Harriet, 32, insisting that she wasn’t right for him and that he deserved better.
This evening’s show revealed how a spark failed to develop between the pair as they got to know each other on their lavish honeymoon.
‘It’s not been as easy as I was hoping,’ she says. ‘I don’t think the connection is naturally there. Richard’s trying to hold my hand and be kind of affectionate like that but I am just not feeling the situation at the moment.’
Viewers were not impressed by her admission she was already finding day to day married life boring, and said she doesn’t want to spend every night of the rest of her life in the routine of having dinner together, watching some TV and then going to bed.
And they were even more upset when she failed to bond with Richard’s beloved spaniel Merlin, ignoring the pooch when she wanted to play, trying to discard her toys and even keeping her locked away in a caged area in their living room.
The pair found the start of their new living arrangment difficult and after a couple of weeks had been sleeping in separate rooms
Harriet said she didn’t feel a spark between her and Richard, but was determined to see the process through
The couple also sought counselling from the show’s biological anthropologist Jake Dunn who told them that they were the strongest match of all the couples taking part
When Richard introduced his beloved dog Merlin to Harriet she wasn’t keen, saying she was more of a cat person
She said: ‘Where the dog is concerned there is an element of trepidation because I’m not actually a dog person, dare I say it. I’m actually a cat person.’
But viewers were not impressed with her lack of effort with one saying they would divorce someone who didn’t like their dog.
Others were impressed by Richard’s cooking skills and love of Lego with one saying he’s ‘literally the perfect guy’.
Meanwhile Harriet was turning to her friend Jo, who lives in Australia, who advised her over the phone to call time on her fledgling marriage.
Viewers watching at home were worried Ben and Stephanie were not going to survive, claiming that Ben had ‘already checked out’ whereas Richard in the second couple deserved better
Those watching at home were extremely concerned for Richard’s dog, saying Harriet wasn’t trying
‘If the chemistry’s not there and you’re just two different personalities and you’re just not connecting you can’t really do anything about that,’ she told her friend.
Harriet and Richard were in separate bedrooms within a week of the experiment – in spite of the fact they presented the strongest match of all of the prospective couples lined up by the show.
‘Across the sweep of biological tests, on your build, your hormone levels, based on your symmetry you were a really good match,’ the show’s biological anthropologist Jake Dunn told the couple.
Viewers were worried Richard was going to get his heart broken by Harriet as the marriage appearaed to get off to a rocky start
‘If you’re a good biological match that’s likely to make for an good psychological match. Your values are a really good match, [and] you’re both highly intelligent people.’
Harriet had longed to find the one after long hours at her London-based job stopped her from having a regular dating life, and had been single for five years.
Initially, she seemed like the perfect match for Richard, who works anti-social hours – including nights and weekends – as a police sergeant.
By the end of the episode and just a few weeks into living together they were sleeping in separate bedrooms
Harriet sought the advice of one of the show’s experts, who told her their relationship could be a ‘slow burner’
After a rocky start to the big day they became more comfortable with each other during their first dance as man and wife, and they finally shared their first kiss to the sound of applause from their families.
Despite her earlier nerves, Harriet said she was glad she decided to wed a total stranger.
She explained: ‘All my anxiety is gone now and that’s got to be a good thing. It’s nuts, I didn’t think I was going to get married, definitely didn’t think I’d marry someone I’d never met, and now I have a ring on my finger.’
AND THINGS ARE ON THE ROCKS FOR STEPHANIE AND BEN AFTER HE REMOVED HIS WEDDING RING
The second couple featured in tonight’s episode, Stephanie, 32, and millionaire property mogul Ben, 36, weren’t faring much better.
The penultimate episode of the series followed Stephanie and Ben as they returned from their honeymoon to live as man and wife for seven weeks, and their spell of domesticity was fraught with tantrums and quarrels.
Ben admitted he was worried about being ‘burned’ by the unorthodox relationship – and he even removed his wedding ring to go to work, leaving his new wife ‘really hurt’.
A wounded Stephanie, who in last week’s episode said she was on the verge of falling in love with her new husband, admitted on the show: ‘I’m really not sure where this is going.’
Stephanie, 32, and Ben, 36, got married as complete strangers on Channel 4’s Married at First Sight
Stephanie is left devastated when she wakes one morning to discover Ben has abandoned his wedding ring on the bed side table
In the penultimate episode of the show the pair begin having arguments, as Ben worries about getting hurt in the relationship
Ben and Stephanie admitted they had a long way to go in their relationship before they were on the same page
Stephanie and Ben, 36, became a hit with viewers thanks to their instant chemistry on their wedding day, with both of them calling each other the ‘perfect match’ they’d been looking for.
But Ben revealed on Thursday night’s show how seeing his new wife hit it off with his friends and family actually made the scale of his commitment sink in – and it opened a ‘flaming can of worms’.
‘All these feelings, I don’t know where they’re coming from,’ said Ben, who found himself terrified of the marriage ending badly like his past relationships.
‘I’m finding it hard to open up and show my true self because I’ve been burned. I thought I’d put that to bed.’
Viewers watching the show at home were worried that Ben had ‘already checked out’ of the marriage, and that he was just ‘telling Steph what she wanted to hear’ when he tried to reassure her he would fight for their marriage.
The cameras follow Stephanie and Ben as they settle into married life in their new shared home
The newlywed couple seek advice from Jo Coker who played a part in matching the couple for the show
Stephanie hit it off with Ben’s parents as he took her back to his home town in Melton Mowbray
But the chemistry between his new wife and his parents spooked Ben and sent him into a spiral
Stephanie met with Ben’s friends and family and they all thought she was great but it made Ben think too much about his ex-girlfriend and his past
Just a few days into marital life at their new shared home in South London, Stephanie found Ben’s wedding ring abandoned on the bedside table while he went to work.
It prompted a moment of panic for the newlywed, who previously hinted that she was on the verge of falling in love with Ben.
‘Unfortunately in the last few days I feel like he’s pulling away,’ she said.
‘I don’t feel like he’s in it anymore.
‘He won’t now make any future plans… and when I say future plans I don’t mean going on holiday together next year or talking about buying a house together in the future, I’m talking about tomorrow – we haven’t even had our first date yet.
‘I’m really starting to doubt where this is going.’
The couple were paid a visit by the show’s resident therapist Jo Coker for crisis talks about their relationship, and she advised them to take things more slowly.
‘We never said marrying a stranger was going to be easy, it is step by step,’ said Jo.
‘Just slow it down a bit, think about it and think about anything you say and be a bit more constructive, that might help you.’
A team of experts spent six weeks learning everything they could about 4,000 singletons who applied, to see if they could create the perfect marriage using data alone.
The volunteers were quizzed on everything from their morals to their future plans, and submitted everything from height measurements to hair samples, as well as – of course – the size of their ring fingers.
Unlucky-in-love Stephanie had signed up to the process after a string of failed engagements, and was paired with millionaire Ben, who wanted to share his fortune with a wife and children.
The moment Ben laid eyes on his wife-to-be his jaw dropped in amazement, mouthing ‘oh my god’ as Stephanie walked down the aisle towards him.
As their wedding day continued the pair became more affectionate as they admitted they were thrilled they’d been matched with each other.
Ben panicked when his new wife hit it off with his family and friends, as it made him realise how serious the relationship was
After their heart to heart Ben took Stephanie on their very first date together, on a romantic boat ride on the Thames
The couple seemed loved-up as they promised to make a go of things ahead of the decision to make their marriage official or get a divorce
Married at First Sight airs Thursdays at 9pm on Channel 4.
And the not so happily ever afters: Where are the Married at First Sight couples now?
SERIES ONE
JASON AND KATE
Jason Knowles and Kate Stewart appeared in the first series of Channel 4’s controversial matchmaking series.
In the season finale it was revealed that the couple had split after the groom signed up to online dating service Tinder.
Jason and Kate split after it was revealed that the groom had signed up to dating app Tinder
He revealed the couple never consummated the relationship and said: ‘It’s a very personal question but I’ll be straight with you, nothing happened.’
While it is not possible to get a divorce within a year of marriage, if the union is not consummated, it can be annulled at any point after the wedding.
SAM AND JACK
Sam McDonald, 30, and former para-trooper Jack Finn-Kelcey initially found love depsite the fact that they didn’t marry.
Sam and Jack never made it down the aisle, they did enjoy a few months dating but also eventually parted
Sam quit the show but eventually the pair met and fell for each other organically.
However, just a few months later the couple were reported to have split. Jack said at the time: ‘We broke up. Rather unexpected and a bit sad but there you go.’
EMMA AND JAMES
Emma Rathbone and James Ord-Hume were the longest lasting couple of the first series of Married at First Sight – however, they too ended in divorce.
Events organiser Emma, 32, and 33-year-old James, a university administrator split after nine months of marriage in December 2015.
Emma and James were the longest lasting couple of series one, however, after nine months of marriage they divorced
Neither found the other attractive at first sight — ‘We have some work to do in that area’ was how Emma tactfully put it on camera — and it seems that however much they tried, that spark never came.
‘Look, we had a sex life,’ says Emma. ‘It just wasn’t always top of the agenda as it would be for most newlyweds, put it that way. I had feelings for James, but we weren’t passionate about each other.’
Since then they have met once at an ‘awkward’ lunch, where they returned a few belongings they had left at each other’s flats. ‘I don’t think either of us was really sure how to behave,’ says James.
SERIES TWO
CAROLINE AND ADAM
Caroline and Adam were the success story of series two but she later revealed on Instagram that their marriage has not worked out.
Caroline and Adam were the longest lasting couple from series two but they too parted ways with the bride selling her dress online
An eagle-eyed fan noticed the pair were not ringing the New Year in together and when asked if they had split, Caroline simply replied: ‘Yes we did.’
The flame-haired operations co-ordinator even put her Vera Wang wedding dress up for sale online for £850, including dry cleaning.
LUCIE AND STEVE
Viewers were left cringing at the awkward post-wedding conversation between the bride and groom with the couple discussing Game of Thrones to fill the award silence.
Lucie and Steve had a very short lived marriage of just six weeks before splitting
The couple were only able to withstand the lacklustre relationship for a grand total of six weeks.
Despite going their separate ways the pair are said to have remained friends, occasionally meeting for a coffee.
MELISSA AND CLARK
Clark and Melissa quickly became fan favourites following their appearance in Married at First Sight’s second series.
Fan favourites Melissa and Clark gave their marriage a good go, but despite their efforts chose to go their separate ways
The comitted groom even showed his commitment to his mystery bride by making the move from London to Milton Keynes.
However, despite fans’ pleas for the couple to stay married the relationship deterioated and the pair split after five months of marriage.
SARA AND ADAM
Although their big day was relatively drama-free this couple got off to a rocky start during their honeymoon.
Sara and Adam’s wedding went well but the honeymoon was less successful and the pair parted after three months
Sara was left fuming after Adam got a little carried away with the wine and he received some stern words.
While it may not have been the best start, eight weeks into the relationship Sara moved in to Adam’s flat in the hope to give their marriage a go.
However, it wasn’t to be and a month later the couple split though admitted that they hadn’t regretted the process and remain friends.